


there's plenty of fish in the sea

by floristyunho



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Beaches, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mermaids, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers, Summer, just two softies ! thats all, mermaid!yunho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-05-16 03:59:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 24,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19310188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floristyunho/pseuds/floristyunho
Summary: In which Wooyoung was destined to go back to his home at the sea and Yunho - to fall in love with a human.





	1. Chapter 1

Wooyoung didn’t remember much from back in the days when he used to live by the sea. All he knew was that he loved being there more than anything else. He only needed to cross the street and he was already at the beach, enjoying the big waves and the warmth of the sun. He loved going to the beach even during winter although he wasn’t happy that he couldn’t swim because the water was too cold.

  
He only lived the first eight years of his life by the sea. After that his parents decided this town wasn’t for them. When he grew up a little, Wooyoung understood that at that time his parents needed money to be able to raise him and his brother. But when he was eight that wasn’t something he was able to understand. He simply couldn’t get it through his mind because he was too busy feeling betrayed by his parents for a while. The first few nights after they moved out he couldn’t sleep well. He felt like he was never going back to his home at the beach.

  
Yet there he was, twelve years later, unpacking his belongings while he was sitting in the middle of the living room of the exact same house that he never stopped missing. Ever since he turned sixteen, Wooyoung started working. He changed a few jobs, sometimes it would happen that he worked two at a time just so he could save up money to repair the abandoned house that his parents never sold. No one was interested in buying it for a long time, so they just gave up and left it like that.

By the time the young boy moved in, the house was still nowhere to being finished but it was good enough for him to live there. He was happy.

Unpacking wasn’t exactly a favorite activity of his. Even if he was excited about moving in and arranging everything the way he wanted, he still got tired easily or distracted by his phone or just by staring blankly into nothing. That was alright, though. He didn’t have anywhere to hurry for.

  
At one point he got tired of sitting in one place. He got up and got dressed, looking out of the window to know what the weather was like. It was cloudy and a bit windy but it didn’t seem like something Wooyoung couldn’t handle. It wasn’t going to rain that day, according to the weather forecast that he regularly checked on his phone. He could take a walk at the beach before going to the supermarket to get some food. 

  
He grabbed his keys and his wallet, putting them in the pockets of his jacket before going out. He didn’t find any need to lock the front door. It was a small town full of kind and mostly elderly people, no one would go in to steal anything. But even if anyone did, Wooyoung didn’t have a lot. No one would be interested in stealing from him.

  
He was slowly walking along the shoreline, his hands stuffed in his pockets. It seemed like nothing had changed. Except that there were suddenly many bars and restaurants all over the beach. Business had flourished there but currently none of them worked because they were out of the tourist season. It was quiet. Only the sound of the occasional waves and Wooyoung’s footsteps over the sand repeatedly broke the silence. 

  
Being there again was like a dream come true. Sure, Wooyoung and his family have gone to the beach many times before. No other place could compare to this one, though. There was something magical about it – something that made him not want to leave ever again. Of course, he didn’t realize that when he was a child but now, he knew he was connected to that town in a way that he couldn’t explain. He couldn’t even put his finger on what the reason might be. 

  
He was just destined to be there. 

  
At one point he decided he could take a short break. Without a second thought, he sat down on the sand and tilted his head back slightly, enjoying the soft breeze even though it was a bit too cold for his liking. His jacket was too thin for that weather but a big part of his clothes was in the still unopened boxes of his belongings. He wasn’t going to need them soon anyways. Summer was nearing and Wooyoung could only wish it became warm as soon as possible. He anticipated going diving more than anything else. Waiting was only making him feel more excited about it. 

  
Around half an hour passed when Wooyoung finally got up. He headed to the supermarket and bought everything he needed to survive for at least a week. The, he went back home and made dinner, unpacking while eating it. 

  
That’s how most of his days passed for the next two months – unpacking at a slow pace and going on walks to the beach almost every day. He also found a job at a nearby bar. He was taking only night shifts there and it was pretty convenient for him since he had the whole rest of the day for himself. Of course, a part of his days was being wasted by sleeping but that wasn’t really a problem. Wooyoung didn’t need a lot of sleep to feel refreshed. 

  
It was already summer which meant it was the perfect time for diving. He went to a more remote part of the beach, one that was out of town, surrounded by huge rocks. People went there so rarely that there were overgrown bushes all over the place. Wooyoung went there so he could enjoy some quality time alone with himself.

   
If he had to be honest, he felt a little awkward when he was doing things alone but there were still people around. It was either him being completely alone or being with friends, there was no third option. Yes, he did have friends and yes, he could invite them to come with him at any given point but honestly no one seemed as excited about diving as Wooyoung did. 

  
So, there he was, being all alone yet not lonely at all as he was diving deep to collect pebbles from the bottom of the sea just for the fun of it. When he went back up on the surface, he inspected the pebbles. He dropped off the plain looking ones in the water but if a pebble looked at least a little more interesting it was officially considered special and he went out of the water to leave it on a pile of other “interesting” pebbles. 

  
One of the times he went out on the shore, he heard some weird rustling noise coming from behind one big rock. Wooyoung was looking at that direction for a moment, then assumed it was either just some waves crashing against the rocks or the wind blowing through the weeds. But then he heard it again and it didn’t sound like any of his assumptions. He left his diving equipment on the sand and slowly approached the place the noise was coming from. The closer he got, he noticed someone peeking from behind the rocks – a boy, only the upper half of his face visible. Wooyoung squinted but as soon as he tried to get a closer look, the other person hid again. 

  
“Hey!” Wooyoung shouted, running over to the rocks and looking behind them only to see there was no one there. There was no possible way he could have imagined that but then again, where did that person disappear? He was looking around the whole place as far as his eyes could reach but he didn’t notice any signs of anyone else but him being there. 

  
It was getting pretty late already. It was time he went to work but he couldn’t get all that off his mind throughout the whole night. He was a little distracted during work and in a moment like that having so many customers wasn’t in his favor. 

  
As morning was nearing and Wooyoung had to get off work, he didn’t even think about going back home. He went back to that beach again. He couldn’t erase the image of the stranger’s mint green hair, as if shining under the sunlight, and his big dark eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

And then he saw him again.

The sun was rising above the horizon and the stranger was sitting on top of the same rock where Wooyoung saw him for the first time. He was approaching him but the closer he got the better he noticed that that person had a tail, the same color as his hair. It shone just as brightly and beautifully but Wooyoung had completely no time to focus on that. He knew that what he was seeing was real but the fact he didn’t want to acknowledge it made him wonder if he had been staying for way too long under the sun the previous day.

  
He put a hand over his mouth, trying not to let out a gasp but his footsteps brought the other’s attention to himself. He turned to look at Wooyoung, immediately getting startled at the sight of him. His eyes widened and he attempted to get away from there as soon as possible. By the time he got off the rock, he stopped and stared at Wooyoung who had his hands over his ears and was screaming as loud as his lungs let him.

He was far from civilization, no one was going to hear him. But the reason he was screaming was completely different. A few moments passed when he finally stopped just so he could catch his breath.

“Are you done?” The mermaid asked, one eyebrow arched up both in confusion and shock but also in annoyance because of Wooyoung being unnecessarily loud.

“Yes, I just thought if I screamed loud enough, I wouldn’t hear you trying to lure me in the water and kill me afterwards,” Wooyoung admitted as if it was the most normal thing. After all, he was in urgent need of sleep by this point and he kind of regretted not going back home because he could be sleeping at that moment. Then, his eyes suddenly went wide and his jaw dropped. “Wait, you can talk?”

  
“Of course I can,” the other rolled his eyes. “And I’m not a siren to try and lure you in. If I could I already would have because you saw too much and this is probably something I shouldn’t have admitted. I talk too much, gotta go.” He turned with his back towards Wooyoung, ready to go away but Wooyoung spoke before he had the opportunity.

  
“Wait!” Wooyoung got closer, leaning over the rock to look at the mermaid from up close. He didn’t know what to say nor why did he stop him. He bit on the inside of his cheek nervously, contemplating what to do shortly before sitting down.

  
“Come back here,” he said, patting the place the other was previously sitting on. “I’m sorry I disturbed you by coming here, I won’t hurt you.”

  
“You know, that’s what everyone says before hurting someone.” The stranger squinted but still turned around and got closer to Wooyoung.

  
“Do I look like I can purposefully do any harm to anyone or anything?”

  
“Okay, fair point.”

  
The mermaid climbed back up on the rock, getting comfortable next to Wooyoung even though the look in his eyes was showing that he was everything but comfortable because of the human’s presence.

  
“So...” Wooyoung started off quietly, stealing a small glance from the other. Although he was speaking rather slowly, his mind worked even slower. “You really are a mermaid?”

  
“As far as I know, yeah,” the stranger responded, lightly swinging his tail. “My name is Yunho, by the way.” He looked at Wooyoung and stretched his arm towards him for a handshake.

  
Wooyoung smiled lightly and took Yunho’s hand in his own, shaking it without minding that it was wet because of the water. “I’m Wooyoung.”

  
That handshake gradually became way too awkward and lasted longer than a normal one would. _Why does a mermaid even know what handshaking is_ , Wooyoung wondered. Maybe that was a question with an answer as simple as mermaids also having manners but for now he wasn’t going to ask anything.

  
After they let go of each other’s hands, the two were sitting in silence for a while. Wooyoung felt himself dozing off. He was doing his best trying to stay awake. Unfortunately for him, Yunho noticed all that.

  
“You should go home and sleep,” Yunho stated as if it was the least obvious thing.

  
Wooyoung shook his head. “I live too far away to manage to get home and not fall asleep midway.” He let out a chuckle, not taking his eyes off of Yunho. He was very tired and it was obvious by the expression on his face but he found the other way too interesting to not look at him and carefully observe his features.

  
“Then just sleep here,” the other suggested. “On the sand, of course,” he added quickly after. “I don’t think it would be very comfortable to sleep on the rocks inbetween the bushes.”

  
Wooyoung only nodded. “I might.” He nibbled down on his lower lip as he looked back over his shoulder, wondering if he really should stay. The sand didn’t look comfortable and he already knew he was going to wake up with stiff shoulders and a hurting back. “Falling asleep with no one around, under the sky seems as dangerous as falling asleep while someone is watching over you,” the boy mumbled out quietly before giggling.

  
“So, is that an invitation to stay over or should I go away?” Yunho hummed.

  
“You don’t seem like you could do much harm either, so I guess you could stay if you want to. I’m not going to make you go away since this is your place.” Wooyoung suddenly got up and took his backpack off his shoulders. He opened it as he stepped down on the sand, taking out the clothes he wore at work so he could make something as a pillow. Yunho kept quiet during that time, just looking at Wooyoung while tracing patterns with his finger along the scales of his tail.

  
“I might stay for a bit,” Yunho decided out loud. “Until you fall asleep.”

  
Wooyoung nodded again and lied down on his back after he was done making his improvised bed. He looked up at the sky. “Do you come here often?” He asked.

  
“Are you flirting?” Yunho snorted. He got off the rock and moved on the sand as much as his body let him. Thankfully, Wooyoung was close enough. He dragged himself next to him.

  
Wooyoung knitted his eyebrows and tilted his head up to look at Yunho. “ _No_? Don’t be ridiculous. I was just curious. After all, I obviously don’t meet mermaids every day of my life.”

  
“I’m just kidding.” Yunho lied down on his stomach next to Wooyoung, crossing his arms and propping his chin over them. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the rays of sunlight shining over his skin. “I come here a lot when it’s warm. So only around and during summer.”

  
Wooyoung nodded and looked up again before also closing his eyes. “Wish it was always summer then,” he mumbled out sleepily, most likely not even realizing what he was saying because he fell asleep a few moments later.


	3. Chapter 3

When  Wooyoung woke up around four or five hours later, it was already noon and  Yunho  was gone. He was right about one thing, his back hurt so much that he couldn't even put it into words. It was his own fault for sleeping there anyways.

The sun was shining almost aggressively at him and the sand was painfully hot around him, he realized as he moved his hand to the side and felt it against his skin, jerking his hand away almost right after. He was making mental notes on what he had to do that day and it really wasn’t much but the most essential thing was that he had to go back home because he was hungry. His stomach was going to start protesting to be fed any time soon.

He sat up, feeling uncomfortable because his clothes were full of sand  and he felt like he was melting underneath the fabric because of the heat.  He realized his hair was in sand too  and his body was covered in a thin layer of annoying, sticky sweat. With a  groan, he stood up and tried shaking off most of the sand  from himself.  Then, he gathered his things in his backpack and headed home.

His phone hadn't been charged in over a day and it didn't have any battery at all  since his mind was too busy being occupied with thoughts about  Yunho  that he didn’t even remember to charge at work. The  first thing Wooyoung did as he got home was to charge it. He left it on  his nightstand  and went to the kitchen while he was waiting for all the notifications that he had missed to stop popping out all at once.

Making his way through the small kitchen, Wooyoung reached up to open one of the top cupboards, mumbling something out disapprovingly as he couldn't find any instant noodles. He dragged a chair and climbed up to check and make sure . He  was left really disappointed when he found out that his supply of noodles was gone. He was too lazy to cook anything and wasn't going to settle for anything that took more than three minutes to make.  Yes, he was hungry, but he wasn’t that desperate.

He went back to the  bedroom  and took his phone, checking the time before dialing one of his friends. He sat down on the  edge of  the  bed , lightly swinging his legs above the ground while waiting.

A wide smile appeared on his face as the other picked up, letting out a quiet and sleepy " _hello_ ".

"Hey,  Yeosangie ~" Wooyoung beamed, not taking too long to get to the point.  He knew that otherwise his friend would’ve gotten moody and nothing would go his way.  "Do you want to go grab something to eat? I'm too lazy to cook, so I thought we could go out."

For the past months,  Yeosang  got to know  Wooyoung quite well . He was  already familiar with some of his habits such as him calling him to go out when he wanted to do something but didn't want to be by himself.

The line went silent, Wooyoung was only able to hear quiet rustling from the other side  for a few moments. He secretly hoped Yeosang wouldn’t ditch him because he didn’t have anyone else to go out with at that time .

" _You can come over instead,_ " Yeosang suddenly spoke again. He didn't sound that sleepy anymore. " _I have plenty of food at home and I can cook for you, too, if you want._ "

Wooyoung got really excited about the offer since he had never been invited to  Yeosang's  home even though he lived just five minutes away.  The closer he’s ever gotten to his friend’s house was  at the gates of the front yard  when he walked him home after work. They didn’t always happen to be at work at the same time because Yeosang also took day shifts  and  he  didn’t have much free time  but they still  kept in touch as much as possible.

“ _So, what do you want?_ ” Yeosang asked. “I will start preparing it while you’re on your way here.”

“I want noodles.”

“ _For real_?” Wooyoung could feel the disappointment in  Yeosang’s  voice. “ _I invite you over and you can choose from literally everything because I’m willing to cook for you and you still want something as simple as noodles?_ ”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes and stood up, taking his phone off the charger. “Don’t make me sound as if I’m ungrateful to your kindness. I’ll be there in a bit.”

After hanging up, Wooyoung took his charger and immediately headed to  Yeosang’s  house since he hadn’t even taken his shoes off yet. He got there in even less than five minutes and was left to wait for a few moments after he rang at the doorbell. A smile tugged at the edges of his lips when he finally heard the door unlocking. It opened, Yeosang peeking from behind it with a smile and messy hair, not really making an effort to do anything about it.

“Hey,” Yeosang said sweetly before stepping back and opening the door more to let Wooyoung in his house. By habit, as soon as Wooyoung walked in, he couldn’t miss the opportunity to wrap his arms around Yeosang and hug him tightly. “It’s nice to see you, too.” The older boy giggled, patting Wooyoung on the back. “Come on, let’s go in.”

After the dark haired boy pulled away from the hug,  Yeosang lead him to the kitchen where  he had left three packets of noodles to soften in boiling water .

“Do you want anything else except noodles?” Yeosang asked as he took  juice out of his fridge. Then, he noticed that Wooyoung had never even walked past the door of the kitchen.  “What’s wrong?  You can sit wherever you want, don’t wait for a special invitation.” He shook his head and sighed as Wooyoung moved to sit on a chair by the table.  “So, do you want anything else?”

“No .” Wooyoung  reached out with his leg and pulled  another chair closer to himself, gesturing at Yeosang to sit down next to him. “Come eat with me.”

"Of course I will." Yeosang moved the pot with the noodles to the counter,  putting half of them in a bowl for Wooyoung and the other half – for himself. When he set the bowls on the table, he  also put two empty glasses for the juice.

Wooyoung started eating almost right away  and Yeosang followed soon after. The two were eating in  silence, not really minding it.

While  reaching out to pour juice in his glass, Wooyoung wondered if he should  tell Yeosang about  Yunho . Honestly, he didn’t know how his friend would react.  Maybe he would start thinking Wooyoung is crazy, that  he needs some immediate medical help. Or in the best case, that he’s either lying or has had a dream with a mermaid that felt real.

Pouting lightly, he brought the glass  closer to himself and took a sip, his nose scrunching up a little at the lightly sour taste of the juice.  It wasn’t  that he didn’t like sour things, it was just the fact he had no simple control over his facial expressions.

“I met someone recently ,” Wooyoung announced,  bringing his friend’s attention to himself. He decided that  he was going to tell  Yeosang at least part of the truth about  Yunho .  “He’s not from here, though.  But he’s really interesting and I guess we have some things in common.”

Yeosang  tilted his head up to look at Wooyoung. “So, you like him now?”

For a second Wooyoung thought about how weird and uncomfortable it would be to have a crush on a mermaid, not to mention to date one when  you’re human .

He shook his head, putting his hands up . “No, no. I barely know him.  I’m just happy I found someone  who likes swimming as much as I do.”

Which was probably a lie.  He didn’t even know if  Yunho  liked swimming or not. Or if he even liked being a mermaid in the first place.  Swimming for mermaids was probably seen like something obligatory just like walking was for humans.  They didn't see it as something they could enjoy that much because they don't really have any other choice but to swim around to go places.

“I’m happy for you,” Yeosang smiled and gently patted  Wooyoung's  thigh.  “Maybe if you happen to get closer with him, we should go out for a drink some time if he doesn’t happen to live too far away.”

“Yeah, of course.”

They kept on talking about  Yunho  for a little bit more until Wooyoung got too awkward and perhaps too uncomfortable to lie about him, so he changed the subject.

Later on, after they were done with eating,  they went to  Yeosang’s  bedroom, playing video games on his  PlayStation  and eating snacks for  the whole rest of the day until they had to head to work.

They had a lot of fun the whole time but Wooyoung still didn't seem to be able to get his mind off of the mermaid he saw.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days had passed when Wooyoung decided he wanted to go back to the beach and see Yunho. Without even considering the mermaid might not be there, Wooyoung woke up very early, a little before sunrise, and went to the beach.

It wasn’t like he could expect anything but he still got disappointed that Yunho wasn’t there. “What was I even thinking,” he mumbled out under his nose quietly and plopped down on the sand. He wasn’t sulking. Or at least he wished he wasn’t.

  
As he looked around, he saw his old pile of pebbles that he had been collecting on the day when he met Yunho. But what surprised him was that it was now much bigger. He quickly got up and went over to the pile, looking at all the new pebbles. He took one of them in hands, gasping how smooth it felt against his touch.

  
“Do you like it?” He heard Yunho’s voice from the near distance and he immediately looked up only to see the mermaid in the water. “Come here, I’ve collected more."

  
There was completely no need for Wooyoung to think twice. He took his shirt and shoes off, leaving them on the sand along with his phone and everything else that was in his pockets. Then, he jumped into the water, swimming to Yunho to see that his hands were full of small and beautiful pebbles.

  
“Why are you collecting them?” Wooyoung asked as he took a part of the pebbles from Yunho’s hands while trying to keep himself above the surface at the same time.

  
“I saw you doing it and it seemed fun, so I thought I could try, too. But I guess, I’m not as good at picking out the best ones like you.”

  
Wooyoung giggled and stuffed the little rocks in the pockets of his shorts before taking the rest from Yunho’s hands, both of them careful to not drop any of them. “Let’s go on the shore to check them out.” Yunho nodded with a wide smile.

  
They made their way to the sand, sitting where the waves could barely reach. Wooyoung took out all the pebbles from his pockets. He tried picking out the good ones but the problem was that every single one was good and so smooth.

  
“Yours are not like the ones I’ve collected.” The human boy pouted and crossed his legs, looking over at Yunho who was collecting tiny shells from the sand and arranging them on his lap, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

  
“It’s because I collect them from deeper in the sea where they’ve been staying for longer," the mermaid responded, not looking up. “You can come diving with me some time. I mean, if you’re able to dive that deep, of course.”

  
“With pleasure.”

  
Wooyoung sighed and lied down on his back. He didn’t really know what to talk about. Sure, there were many things that he wanted to ask. He wanted to say many things, too. Yet he didn’t want to annoy Yunho or to invade his personal space. They really haven’t known each other for long enough for him to just start asking things without knowing if the other would get uncomfortable.

  
His curiosity was stronger than him, though. He wanted to know much more about mermaids, wanted to know about their life. And along with all that, he wanted to know more about Yunho too. But then again, for Yunho he would only seem as if he was interested just because he was a mermaid.

  
“I told my best friend about you,” Yunho broke the silence between them, glancing at Wooyoung for a second before focusing his attention back on the spiral of shells that he had made on his tail. He continued talking before Wooyoung had the chance to form a proper sentence. “But he’s a little skeptical about you. Said humans are no good and there’s no point in even trying to be friends with you because we won’t even see each other that much. I don’t think the same way, though. For the first time I meet a human who isn’t scared of me and doesn't want to hunt me down and kill me.”

  
“You’ve met other humans?” Wooyoung tilted his head up to look at the other.

  
“Well, not personally. When I was little I’d go to docks and beaches quite often but didn’t really know I should hide from humans.” Yunho decided that he could spare the details of his experiences but somehow Wooyoung managed to figure it all out.

  
“I was really scared of you when I saw you for the first time,” he added. “The second time, too, I guess.”

  
Wooyoung rested his head on the sand again and looked up at the sky. He placed his hands on his stomach, nervously playing with his fingers. “I tried telling my best friend about you, too. There was no possible way I could tell him you’re a mermaid, though. For obvious reasons."

  
“I understand."

  
Even though Yunho had apparently lived through so many unpleasant experiences with humans, he actually didn’t understand. And couldn’t. He didn’t see anything wrong in himself but since humans were like that, he couldn’t help but feel insecure. He didn’t doubt that Wooyoung wasn’t ashamed to tell others that he had met a mermaid. Which made him wonder if everyone was so negative about mermaids, why was Wooyoung not like them.

  
Maybe he was still a little scared of the boy but he didn’t want to admit it. It was probably going to offend him because so far Wooyoung hadn’t showed him anything but kindness. He also didn’t run away or even get scared of him when they met.

  
When he got too bored of placing shells, he brushed them off of his tail and dumped them down on the sand. He also lied down and covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes while trying to gather his thoughts.

  
“Did you lie about understanding? You seem upset.” Wooyoung turned to lie on his side, leaning against his elbow.

  
“I am but it’s not about your friend.”

  
“Then what?”

  
“Why are you so nice to me, Wooyoung?” Yunho moved his hands away from his face. “Or why is no one like you?”

  
Wooyoung shook his head lightly, letting out a quiet sigh. “No idea, honestly. I’m nice with you because you’re also nice with me and I don’t see why I shouldn’t be?” He shrugged. “I really don’t care if you’re different or if you’re not even human, it doesn’t change the fact you’re nice. For example, cats and dogs can’t speak, they’re not human, they don’t even have rational thoughts but we still love them. Then I don’t see a problem to be friends with you.”

  
“That’s really nice but…” The mermaid got slightly embarrassed that he suddenly had to change the subject without responding properly to what Wooyoung had just said. “I’m drying out and I might turn into a raisin soon, so would you help me go back to the water?"

  
 _Why does a mermaid know what a raisin is_ , Wooyoung thought but didn't ask out loud. He got up and leaned above Yunho, placing his hands under his arms and dragging him back into the water. After that, he sat down where the water was more shallow. Yunho was just kind of floating around him, not necessarily trying to stay in one place but still held onto Wooyoung's hands so he wouldn't float too far away.

  
“Thank you for being my friend,” Yunho said while looking up at Wooyoung and smiling brightly. “Now that I know how you feel about all this, I feel safe around you.”

  
“There’s no need to thank me.” Wooyoung smiled back, lightly patting Yunho on the shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

It became a habit for Wooyoung to go to the beach every single day and meet with Yunho. True, sometimes the mermaid didn’t show up but maybe it was because mermaids also have their deeds. He couldn’t imagine what the mermaids could be doing under the sea but there must be something more interesting than just swimming around beaches and docks, relaxing on rocks.

  
_Did mermaids work? Did they have the concept of a job? Was capitalism a problem that mermaids also had to deal with?_

  
_The amount of water on the planet was huge, there must be a big mermaid community all over the world,_ Wooyoung assumed. It’s not just Yunho, his best friend and the whole rest of the family. They probably did a lot but were just good at hiding.

  
Wooyoung clicked his fingers triumphantly as he came to that conclusion. Perhaps life would’ve been much easier if he actually asked the questions he had instead of trying to figure stuff out on his own without really knowing anything about them.

  
What he didn’t realize sooner was that Yunho was right next to him the entire time and Wooyoung did have the tendency to talk to himself out loud sometimes even though it was in the form of silent mumbles that other people weren’t even able to comprehend most of the time. Yet Yunho was so close to his face that he could hear everything almost perfectly.

  
The human boy had a few days off from work. He didn’t really have what else to do but to spend his time with Yunho and the mermaid had suggested to take him so far into the sea that he wouldn’t even be able to see the shore, so on the second day of his short vacation Wooyoung went to the beach with a pool air mattress.

  
So, there they were – Wooyoung lying on his stomach on the mattress and looking at Yunho as his head was peacefully rested on top of his arms, Yunho swimming slowly and pushing the mattress with himself, both in the literal middle of nowhere.

  
“You know that you tend to think out loud, right?” Yunho asked, snapping Wooyoung back into reality.

  
“Oh.” Wooyoung's face suddenly turned red from embarrassment. He couldn’t even guess exactly which part of all that he was thinking was said out loud nor what did Yunho hear. What made him even more embarrassed was the thought that Yunho might have heard completely everything. He buried his face against his forearm as if hiding was going to help him in any way. “I’m sorry. I know I do that, I just don’t realize when I’m actually doing it.”

  
Yunho giggled and stopped in one place to take a short break. He placed one of his arms on top of the mattress and rested his head against it as he reached out with his free hand to slowly comb his fingers through Wooyoung's hair.

His hand was shaking a little, he had never done such thing with anyone else before. Running his fingers through his own hair  didn't count.

Wooyoung hummed and tilted his head to look at Yunho again and it became awkward only for a split second until he relaxed under the latter’s touch. He really loved having his hair touched but until then, it was mainly Yeosang doing it. When Yunho was doing it, it somehow felt better. He was so gentle and careful.

  
“If you have any questions, just ask me right away. I promise you wouldn’t annoy me.” The mermaid smiled. “There’s no need to feel embarrassed about it because just as you, I also have a lot of questions but haven’t asked them yet just because I never see it as the right moment. I genuinely want to know more about you. I mean, yeah, we’re spending lots of time together lately but we still don’t know each other that well.”

  
Wooyoung smiled lightly and moved one of his hands, splashing Yunho with water. “You’re so cute.” He got splashed back in return. They kept on doing that until Yunho pushed Wooyoung off of his mattress. The latter shrieked but Yunho quickly wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. He knew that if he didn’t hold him, at the place they were and with no equipment at all, Wooyoung was surely going to drown.

  
“I take my words back, you’re not cute anymore.” Wooyoung pouted and hit Yunho on the chest lightly with one hand while holding onto his shoulder with his other. “Don’t scare me like that.”

  
“Okay, okay, I promise I won’t do it again.” Yunho smiled and helped the other boy get back on the mattress. “You good now?”

  
Wooyoung hummed and nodded, though he was still sulking. Yunho was caressing his shoulder soothingly for a while before he continued swimming.

  
“What do you do if a boat passes by?” Wooyoung asked, suddenly realizing that they hadn’t seen any boats or ships or literally any other life form around them.

  
“First of all, no boat would come around here. I know their routes. But if one passes by, I just hide under you and you make it look like you’re just chilling out here.”

  
“Yeah, in the middle of the sea.” They both giggled.

  
The dark haired boy moved and sat in the middle of the mattress, swinging his legs lightly in the water while looking at Yunho.

Not much time passed until Yunho decided it was time to go back to the beach. After another short break even though he hadn’t even gotten tired. He just searched for an excuse to stay there with Wooyoung for longer. He rested his head on the mattress, closing his eyes and relaxing his entire body, leaving his tail to just float on top of the surface along with the small waves.

  
“Is this the natural color of your hair?” Wooyoung asked as he reached towards Yunho and brushed his fingertips against his wet yet really soft hair. The mermaid hummed and moved closer, hinting at Wooyoung that he wanted him to continue touching his hair.

  
“Yeah. Mermaids don’t really dye their hair. Not that we can’t, we just rarely do it.”

  
Wooyoung nodded. “Wish I was also born with such a cool hair color instead of torturing my hair with dye.” He giggled. By that time Yunho had melted under his touch to a point that he had moved even closer, his head rested on Wooyoung's thigh. “Hey, don’t fall asleep. I still have to get back home somehow.”

  
“I promise I won’t. This just feels so good.” Yunho opened his eyes slightly to look up at Wooyoung.

  
“How do mermaids sleep? Like you just floating around or?”

  
Yunho giggled and shook his head. “No, no. We sleep like humans do but… Usually underwater. We have our homes and all. They’re just hidden from possible encounters with divers.”

  
Until then, Wooyoung hadn’t fully realized it but he loved listening to Yunho ramble about things. True, he talked a bit more than he was used to. Usually he was the one to talk more. But this time he didn’t mind listening.

  
They spent much more time there than intended but Yunho still returned Wooyoung back to the beach.

When they got there, they switched and Yunho was lying on the mattress instead while Wooyoung was sitting on the sand at the shore, both watching the sunset.


	6. Chapter 6

Catching a cold during summer was probably one of the most ridiculous things that could happen to anyone. Yet Wooyoung ended up in such situation. He couldn’t go to work, the first few days he could barely get up from his bed and take proper care of himself, not to even mention going to see Yunho. Actually, the fact he wouldn’t be able to meet up with Yunho for so long only made him feel worse.

  
On a brighter note, Yeosang moved in Wooyoung's house for a few days to take care of him. Wooyoung had gotten so used to being clingy that it was weird that he couldn’t just wrap his arms around Yeosang and stay like that. First, because he was sick and second, because their relationship wasn’t quite like that.

  
Yet there were times when they had their moments of shared affection. Yeosang didn't care all that much about also getting sick and he loved sitting in Wooyoung's bed with the younger lying between his legs with his head rested against his thigh as he was braiding his hair. Wooyoung's hair wasn’t long but it wasn’t that short either and Yeosang thought he looked adorable with all those little braids.

  
This time Wooyoung fell asleep easily thanks to Yeosang's gentle touch and the meds he had just taken for his fever. He had his arms wrapped around the other’s waist, sleeping peacefully while Yeosang didn’t stop braiding his hair. At some point he leaned to cover Wooyoung with a blanket, then focused on his main activity.

  
He smiled as he heard Wooyoung mumbling quietly in his sleep, wondering what was he dreaming of.

  
When he was finally done, Yeosang carefully placed Wooyoung's head on a pillow and moved away just to lie down next to him. He covered himself with the blanket, loosely wrapping his arm around his best friend’s waist before also falling asleep.

  
During his long nap Wooyoung had many weird dreams, most of which didn’t make sense yet he remembered when he woke up. The one he remembered the most vividly was with Yunho. They were peacefully swimming together with no worries about anything.

  
He did wake up disappointed and with a lot of worries, though. He looked at Yeosang who was still asleep and pouted lightly. He suddenly started contemplating if he should tell him the truth about Yunho. It wasn’t like he could hide it forever. Especially from his best friend who was eventually going to get suspicious over Wooyoung not having any free time for him anymore. Of course, if he wasn’t suspicious already.

  
That wasn’t a thing he should have thought about at that moment. He got anxious and on top of everything he suddenly started missing Yunho even more than he previously did.

  
He snuggled up against Yeosang and closed his eyes again, lucky enough to fall back asleep not long after.

  
All of his days were spent with Yeosang except the times when the older had to go to work. The week passed quickly but at times for Wooyoung it seemed much slower than usual to a point it was agonizing.

  
“Yeosang, I need to tell you something.” Wooyoung was sitting at the edge of the bed, finally determined to talk with Yeosang and not lie to him any longer. At that moment, Yeosang had just walked into the room on the morning after his night shift.

  
The light brown haired boy's eyebrows curled upwards in slight worry as he saw how serious the expression on Wooyoung's face seemed. He walked over to the bed and sat next to his friend, looking at him. “What is it?”

  
Wooyoung put a hand on Yeosang’s thigh before patting it lightly. “Don’t look so tense as if you’re in trouble for anything.” He chuckled. “It’s just that it's your last full day here before you go back home and I want to be honest with you about something because I hate lying to you.” Yeosang tilted his head to the side questioningly, waiting for the other to continue. “It’s about Yunho.”

  
“Oh?”

  
“The thing is… I don't want you to assume that I've suddenly lost my mind or that I'm lying to you but the whole story is a little crazy and it would sound ridiculous to you but I swear, I’m telling you the truth, all I need from you is to believe me.” Wooyoung was holding onto his best friend's hands, looking into his eyes and with a slight pout.

  
“Wooyoung, of course I will believe you.” Yeosang let go of Wooyoung's hands just to pull him close and hug him. “You can tell me everything.”

  
The younger hummed and wrapped his arms around Yeosang, resting his chin on his shoulder. It was easier to tell him when he wasn't facing him. “When I said that Yunho isn’t from around here it was only partly true. And I know how this might sound but he’s actually a mermaid. That’s why I go to the beach so often and spend so much time there.”

  
Yeosang giggled quietly and patted Wooyoung on the back. “But I already know that.” To which the latter pulled away as if with the speed of light and looked at him with a frown. “You talk in your sleep. You really have no idea how many conversations I’ve had with you during the last week while you’ve been asleep.”

  
“Then why haven’t you told me anything?” Wooyoung frowned even more. He felt a little hurt but at the same time relieved that Yeosang had reacted well enough to not mention anything ever and to not send him to a mental hospital even though he didn’t think he’d really go that far.

"Didn’t think it’s necessary.”

  
“You’re unbelievable.”

  
Wooyoung rested his chin on Yeosang's shoulder again and sighed. “I hate that there's no other way I can contact him except just going to see him.”

  
“Let’s go see him, then,” Yeosang suggested.

  
“I’m still feverish.” Wooyoung thought for a bit but then he decided going to the beach was more than worth it since he had waited for a whole week or even a little more than that. He suddenly let go of Yeosang and got up. “You know what, screw that, let's go.”

  
A wide smile appeared on Yeosang’s face because of how Wooyoung as if started shining from excitement that he was going to see Yunho again. And he was so glad that he could finally share that with his best friend.

  
Little did he know that Yunho spent every single day of that week waiting at the beach. He barely got back home or went to see his friends. For such a short time he had gotten so attached to the human. Even when the sun was already setting and there was no signs of Wooyoung showing up, he still waited no matter for how long did he have to do it.

  
He was sitting at the shore, where he and Wooyoung usually relaxed, and watching the waves.

  
He felt warm arms wrapping around him and almost felt like he was imagining it until he realized Wooyoung was actually sitting behind him and hugging him tight.

  
“Hey,” Wooyoung's gentle voice sounded against Yunho's ear, making the latter tilt his head to look at him with the corner of his eye. He was speaking quietly, brushing his fingers along Yunho's arm. “I’m sorry I’ve been away for so long. I’m here with my best friend.”

  
Yunho suddenly fully turned his head to face Wooyoung, the look in his eyes full of worry and fear that the dark haired boy had never seen since the day they met. It completely shattered Wooyoung's heart to watch him like that and he should have been prepared for something like that. “But-“

  
“It’s okay, it’s okay, I promise,” Wooyoung was quick to interrupt, trying to assure the mermaid. He moved his hand up to cup his cheek gently and looked into his eyes, combing his fingers through his hair with his other hand. “He knows about you, I promise he won’t do any harm to you. You’re going to be alright.”

  
“Are you sure?” Yunho wrapped his fingers around Wooyoung's wrist, holding onto him and pouting.

  
“Of course. You’re safe as long as you’re with me.”

  
Wooyoung was caressing Yunho's cheek slowly and gently, smiling assuringly and talking to him until Yunho gradually started softening up and was ready to meet Yeosang.


	7. Chapter 7

While Wooyoung was assuring Yunho, Yeosang was sitting to the side, a little far from them to not disturb them and especially the mermaid while they were talking. He had brought his knees close to his chest, one elbow leaned against his knee and head rested in his palm peacefully as he was watching the two. A very light, almost unnoticeable smile was pulling at the corners of his lips. He couldn’t help but be happy for his friend. It was so obvious just how connected they were and how much they missed each other but he wondered if the two actually realized that.

  
When they were done, Wooyoung turned his head to look at Yeosang over his shoulder, lifting his arm up and gesturing at him to come over. The light brown haired boy got up from his place and walked over to his best friend and the mermaid.

  
At first he thought it was going to be a little awkward to meet Yunho but he turned out to be wrong. The mermaid was so kind and warm-hearted that it wasn’t difficult for Yeosang to carry on a conversation after introducing himself.

  
He sat on the other side of Wooyoung. The dark haired boy had taken his friends' hands in his own, swinging them lightly at times while talking. Without realizing it, at one point he intertwined his fingers with Yunho's. Both Yunho and Yeosang noticed, mostly because of the obvious blush that was spreading across Yunho's cheeks, but Wooyoung was so happy that he was existing in his own world and didn't notice much around himself.

  
They spent a few hours together but Wooyoung had to be brought back to reality when Yeosang let go of his hand and got up, messing his hair up a little. “We have to go back home. It’s almost noon and time for your meds.”

  
“But-“ Wooyoung wrapped his hands around Yunho's arm, clinging to him while he was looking up at Yeosang and sulking. “We just got here, I’m alright, I don’t need meds anymore.”

  
“You said it yourself, you’re still feverish.” Yeosang sighed.

  
Wooyoung was looking at him for a bit and pouting before he looked at Yunho who was apparently also sulking. He leaned closer and whispered so only he would hear him. “I promise I will come again tomorrow.”

  
“For longer?” Yunho pulled back a little to look at Wooyoung again.

  
“Yes. For much longer.” The latter let go of Yunho's hands and hugged him, receiving a twice as tight hug in return. “Wait for me in the morning, okay?” Yunho nodded before Wooyoung pulled away and got up.

  
Yunho went back into the sea when everyone said their goodbyes and Wooyoung finally got into Yeosang's car.

  
“Hey, don’t sulk.” The older reached out and caressed Wooyoung's shoulder before starting the engine. “You’re going to come back here tomorrow either way. I understand how you feel.”

  
“Really?” Wooyoung glanced up at Yeosang as he was putting on his seatbelt. After that, he made himself comfortable and took his shoes off, crossing his legs over the seat and leaning back. “How come?”

  
“Doesn’t matter.”

  
When they went out on the road, Wooyoung felt obligated to turn the radio on. He was singing happily along whatever song was playing and sometimes Yeosang would join in too even though he didn't know as many songs as Wooyoung did.

  
They stopped by at the supermarket to buy food to cook and to renew Wooyoung's noodle supplies. They bought so much food that Wooyoung was probably not going to starve for the next two or three weeks. But as he thought about it, he spent so much time with Yunho that he barely ever remembered to eat. Good thing Yeosang was around during the past week to cook for him and remind him to eat. Or more like, to force him.

  
“Did you not put your shoes back on on purpose when you were going out of the car?” Yeosang asked as they were checking out all the things they had taken.

  
“Nooo, I forgot to put them back on.” Wooyoung answered cheerfully like it was no big deal and looked down at his bare feet, patting against the floor and shrugging. Then, he moved to the end of the register and started putting the food in bags. He had given his wallet to Yeosang for him to pay so he just took the bags once he was done, waiting for the older.

  
Yeosang helped him with one of the bags on their way back to the car. Wooyoung only now actually realized it wasn't a good idea to not wear any shoes because he had started complaining about the little rocks all over the parking hurting his feet “on purpose”.

  
“Maybe if you put your shoes on-“ Yeosang opened the front door of the car, placing the bag at the back seat before getting it.

  
“I forgot,” Wooyoung whined in defense, also leaving his things and getting in.

  
They got back to Wooyoung's house, going to the kitchen right after taking their shoes off. They put a big part of the things they bought in the already almost empty fridge and the cupboards, leaving the needed ingredients to make fried chicken which they were going to prepare together.

  
While Wooyoung was preparing the chicken, Yeosang was making a dip sauce for it.

  
“Should we make anything else?” Yeosang asked as he was almost ready with the sauce, helping Wooyoung with the rest of the chicken.

  
“Noodles?” Wooyoung suggested at which Yeosang giggled quietly and shook his head. “What?”

  
“You really love noodles, don’t you?” Yeosang smiled and took out two packets of noodles from the cupboard they had just loaded, then found a pot to cook them in.

  
“Maybe so.”

  
When Wooyoung was finally ready with the chicken and put it in the oven, he took out a tablecloth to put it on the table and arrange the plates and silverware along with the dip sauce.

  
“Hey, Sang.” Wooyoung looked up at Yeosang. “When we talked in the car and you said you understand how I feel, what did you mean?”

  
Yeosang rolled his eyes and looked back at Wooyoung. “I said it doesn’t matter.” He took the pot off the hob. He felt Wooyoung cling to his arm and without even looking at him, he knew the boy was sulking yet again just as he was doing when he didn't want to let go of Yunho. “Wooyoung, I won’t tell you.”

  
Yeosang placed the lid on top of the pot for the noodles to soften even more if that was possible at all. Then, he turned to look at Wooyoung.

  
“Are you keeping secrets from me?”

  
“Yes, because I’m too embarrassed of saying them out loud.”

  
“Then just text me?”

  
The two were staring at each other in the eyes for a long while until Yeosang fished his phone out of his pocket dramatically slowly. He opened his chat with Wooyoung, glancing at him a few times while typing so the younger wouldn’t try to peek before he had actually sent the message. He sighed before hitting send and went back to staring at Wooyoung until he checked his phone.

  
Wooyoung put a hand over his mouth and gasped, his eyes widening as he read the message. Yeosang almost felt like he was a character in a soap opera because Wooyoung was so overly dramatic for nothing.

“There’s someone you like from another town and you never told me?!” The dark haired boy exclaimed out loud, causing his friend to facepalm. “What?”

  
“Wasn’t the point of sending the text message for me to not say it out loud or even hear it?” Yeosang hid his face behind his hands, more out of frustration than out of embarrassment.

  
“Oh-“

  
“So anyways, now you know. Happy?” Yeosang turned towards the counter, removing the lid from the pot to move the noodles into two bowls. “Let’s eat now, the chicken is almost ready, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no one:  
> me: let's stuff this entire fic with fillers


	8. Chapter 8

When Yeosang woke up early in the morning for work, he also woke Wooyoung up so he could go to meet with Yunho and not make him wait for too long. Wooyoung had gone to sleep early on the previous day so he could be with Yunho as long as possible. He woke up full of energy and also got up to dress up and use the bathroom while Yeosang was getting ready for work.

  
“Come over again some other time?” Wooyoung asked as the two were at the front door and ready to go, rolling the keys over his pointer finger.

  
“With pleasure.” Yeosang smiled and pulled Wooyoung closer to hug him. “But I’d suggest next time you come sleep over my house, hm?”

  
“Sounds great.” Wooyoung grinned and patted the older on the back as he hugged him.

  
After that, they went out, Yeosang heading to his car, carrying his luggage, and Wooyoung – to the beach.

  
As promised, Yunho was already there and since Wooyoung had no patience and no time to waste, he ran all the way to him and tackled him down, hugging him tight.

  
“Hey,” Yunho said with a quiet laugh, a little taken aback. He needed a few seconds to realize what was happening until he wrapped his arms around Wooyoung and hugged him just as tight.

  
Wooyoung buried his face in the crook of Yunho's neck, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He had missed his scent of fresh sea water even though he saw him  only yesterday.

  
They stayed like that for a few minutes until Wooyoung pulled away, allowing the mermaid to sit up again. Yunho moved his hand up, gently pressing the back of it against Wooyoung's forehead, remembering how Yeosang had said he was sick and feverish.

  
“You’re okay, right?” He asked, worry obvious in his voice.

  
Wooyoung nodded with a wide smile. “Of course.” He suddenly sat down and opened his bag, searching for something. “Also, I brought something that I thought you might like.”

  
Yunho was looking at him with anticipation until the other took out a few different colors of nail polish. Even though all of them were shiny and with glitter in them, his eyes immediately landed on the one that was almost the same color as his tail.

  
He didn’t even need to be asked or in general told anything. He just pointed at the mint nail polish. “I want this one.” Then he moved his finger to a dark blue one that looked similar to Wooyoung's hair. “Then I will paint yours with this one.”

  
“I wasn’t planning on getting my nails done, too.” Wooyoung giggled and put all the little bottles back in his bag except the mint one. “I was at the convenience store with Yeosang yesterday and when I saw these glitter nail polishes I thought of you and how much they would suit you. But I can’t put any on.”

  
“Why not?” Yunho asked while Wooyoung was trying to search for a position to sit in and a comfortable angle so he could paint the mermaid's nails.

  
“Because I go to work.”

  
“So what?”

  
Wooyoung hummed and got to the other side, crouching down to see if he was going to be comfortable there. “It’s not very socially acceptable for men to wear nail polish, you see.”

  
“And again, so what?” Yunho shrugged. “Fuck them. If you like having your nails colorful then it’s none of their business.”

  
“Did you just cuss?” Wooyoung looked up at Yunho with wide eyes at which Yunho blinked innocently a few times. Wooyoung swore that he even saw him wink at him at least once.

  
He got distracted as he realized how nail artists actually sat in front of their clients when doing their nails. He bit down on his lower lip as he was looking carefully around the place. “Hey, can I sit in your lap?” He asked, trying his best not to stutter his question out.

  
“Of course.” Yunho smiled sweetly at him.

  
And so Wooyoung really did move to sit in Yunho's lap, though hesitating a little in the beginning. He realized Yunho's tail was much more solid than he had ever thought. Which also made him realize he had never really touched his tail. And now he was straight up sitting on it because Yunho allowed it. It didn’t seem to hurt the latter at all, so he got comfortable and wrapped his legs around Yunho's waist. Then, he gently took his right hand in his own before opening the bottle of nail polish.

  
“Do I get to paint your nails after that?” Yunho asked as Wooyoung was already applying the first coat on his pinky finger, getting a cold and lightly ticklish feeling over his nail which made him giggle.

  
“Yeah. You managed to convince me when you cussed.”

  
“I’m glad.”

  
Wooyoung was so careful and focused while painting Yunho's nails that he had his tongue sticking out and eyes squinted a little. The mint haired boy found it cute but decided to not say anything about it to not distract Wooyoung from his work and possibly embarrass him which, he figured, happened easily.

  
The first layer was done on both hands in almost no time and Wooyoung was blowing on Yunho's fingers gently so the nail polish would dry out faster.

  
“You’re amazing, you know that, right?” Yunho smiled even wider than he already was.

  
“Not until you told me.” Wooyoung hummed, trying to suppress not only his smile but also the pink tint that was urging to spread across his cheeks and give away how flustered Yunho's words had made him. His expression quickly went serious as he looked at Yunho in the eyes. “And you better not be lying because I believe you and every word you say, so be careful.”

  
“I’d never lie to you.”

  
Soon after, Wooyoung started applying the second layer, stopping for a second to take out the top coat and get it ready for when he was done.

  
As a “ _safety measure_ ” after the coats of nail polish and top coat were applied, Wooyoung insisted on holding Yunho's hands while his nails were drying just so he wouldn’t touch anything and ruin them by accident. They had their fingers intertwined as a “ _double safety measure_ ”. While that was true, another part of the truth was that Wooyoung was dying for Yunho's touch. He had been deprived of his affection for an entire week, no one could really blame him for anything.

  
Yunho took the polish that he had chosen for his friend after his nails had fully dried out. He wasn’t really sure how to do that whole painting thing. Although he had the most delicate hold on Wooyoung's hand, his other hand that was holding the brush was trembling so much because he was trying to not make any mistakes. Yet he made a lot every time he did make a mistake, Wooyoung was assuring him that everything was alright and that he was just going to clean up the excess nail polish on his skin after it’s dried out.

  
When he was finally getting the hang of it, he could calmly listen to Wooyoung talk about his week, how he was sick and Yeosang had to live with him for a while to take care of him, how he missed going to the beach more than anything.

  
The already obligatory hand holding wasn’t skipped this time too when Yunho was finally done doing Wooyoung's nails. Wooyoung waited for them to dry out fully and carefully cleaned his skin before placing his hands down along with Yunho's, both looking at them with big smiles on their faces.

  
“They match,” Yunho pointed out, bringing his fingers closer to the other boy’s so he could see.

  
“They really do.” Wooyoung gently brushed his fingertips against Yunho's. “Thank you.”

  
“No. Thank _you_.”


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was already setting yet Wooyoung didn’t want to go home. He had decided he was going to spend the whole night with Yunho and nothing could change his mind on that. Even Yunho himself. He wanted to stay as long as possible. And he wasn’t going to waste his time until he had to go back to work again on the next day.

  
Wooyoung had gone home for around an hour and a half, coming back with clothes, covers and an inflatable pillow so he had what to sleep on, the pool air mattress and snacks so he wouldn’t stay hungry and to share with Yunho and show him what human food tasted like.

  
They were in the water for a while, Wooyoung on the mattress and slowly running his fingers in the water. They were staying only at the part where the water was shallower because Yunho didn’t want to drag Wooyoung into deep water when it was getting darker.

  
“Are you sure you want to stay here even at night?” Yunho asked, his eyebrows slightly curled upwards as he leaned against the end of the mattress where he was facing Wooyoung. “You could go back home to rest at any time you want. Just so you know. I wouldn’t get offended or mad at you.”

  
“I prefer being with you,” Wooyoung responded, placing his hands on top of Yunho’s and holding them gently. “But, of course, if you don’t want me here and you want to go back home, you can just tell me.”

  
Yunho hummed and moved his hands a little so he could grab the dark haired boy’s and intertwine their fingers together. “I know it might sound like too much of a request and I know there is no way you could fulfill it but if you could, I wouldn’t want you to leave. Ever.”

  
“I really wish that was possible.” Wooyoung sighed and rested his head down. He was looking at his and Yunho’s hands, softly playing with his fingers. In the meantime, Yunho leaned a little closer to him, resting his head close to Wooyoung’s and closing his eyes, also sighing.

  
The evening was warm. Maybe a little warmer than Wooyoung could handle. That was probably what he could expect when it was mid-summer. Even the water was warm enough for him to swim in it. But maybe just for a few minutes. Also, why swim when he much more preferred lying on his mattress and not wasting any energy while enjoying the mermaid’s warmth?

  
It was becoming really difficult to deny that Yunho was making him feel more at home than any other person or place. He was just special. Not just for Wooyoung, but in general. There was something very unique in his personality and about him that made him stand out more than others. Maybe it was still the fact that he was so kind and gentle in such a genuine way.

  
Wooyoung tightened his grip on Yunho's hands all of a sudden and pulled slightly away to look at him. “Am I ever annoying to you?” He asked, not sure where he got that thought from. Just as expected, Yunho shook his head and said “no”. “Are you sure?”

  
“More than sure.” Yunho let go of Wooyoung's hands and cupped his cheeks, squishing them softly. “You’re so amazing, I could never feel bored or annoyed with you.”

  
“Tell me more.” The other moved a little closer to Yunho, getting curious. He leaned into his touch and closed his eyes once again. “I’m really interested in knowing how you actually feel about me. Sometimes I really can’t help but feel unsure and think you’d be better off without me bothering you.”

  
Yunho sighed while caressing Wooyoung's cheeks with his thumbs in small circling motions. “I don’t think there’s a possible way to describe how I feel about you with words.”

  
“Then describe it however you can. I'd try to understand even if it doesn’t make any sense.” Wooyoung giggled.

  
The mermaid hummed, not taking his eyes off of Wooyoung's face for a while. He was getting embarrassed just trying to think about how he truly felt about Wooyoung. It was making him feel different than he ever did. For Wooyoung he felt something that he felt for none of his friends. It was much deeper than that.

  
He leaned closer, wondering if he was doing the right thing. There was only one way to find out. He tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes, pressing his lips against Wooyoung's and staying still until he received any kind of response from him.

  
At first, Wooyoung almost pulled away. He couldn’t realize what was happening, he was not expecting anything like that. In fact, he was only expecting that Yunho would say just a couple of words about how he appreciated him a lot, the kind of things that he would always say out of the blue. But once he actually processed things fully, he kissed back, placing his hands on top of Yunho's.

  
The kiss lasted only a moment or two but it managed to make their hearts beat like crazy. After they pulled away, Wooyoung's whole face was red and Yunho could barely manage to keep eye contact with him.

  
“So is this how you feel about me?” Wooyoung asked with a quiet voice, not being able to suppress his wide smile.

  
Yunho nodded in response, nibbling down on his lower lip nervously. Wooyoung giggled quietly, suddenly feeling like he was on top of the world from happiness that he never imagined he was going to experience in his entire life. He moved from the mattress, going into the water and leaving it to be pushed to he shore by the waves. He wrapped his arms around Yunho's neck and looked at him before giving him one more quick kiss and hugging him tight. Gradually, the mint haired boy felt less embarrassed. He hugged Wooyoung back and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

  
“So cute,” Wooyoung murmured under his breath and closed his eyes again.

  
When they finally stopped feeling awkward because of what happened and because they couldn’t completely acknowledge the fact how their feelings for each other were obviously mutual, the two boys were swimming for a while, splashing each other with water and laughing loudly as if nothing had happened. That, or they were suddenly even more comfortable with each other.

  
Wooyoung went out of the water first when he felt a little cold. He sat down on the sand and wrapped himself in a towel, only his legs and head sticking out. Soon, Yunho also went out and dragged himself next to Wooyoung, placing his hand on the sand behind himself and leaning against it while he moved Wooyoung's wet bangs away from his forehead with his free hand.

  
“Cold?” Yunho pulled the other boy closer and snuggled him against himself, although he doubted he could provide that much of warmth for him.

  
Wooyoung only nodded lightly before resting the back of his head against Yunho's shoulder and closing his eyes, letting out a quiet, content hum.

  
“If a while ago, someone told me that I’d have a crush on a human, I’d never believe it,” Yunho shared while he was lightly rubbing Wooyoung's back with his hand. “But, you know, now that it’s actually happening and as I come to think a little more about it, it’s really not that weird.”

  
“How can you say such embarrassing things out lout?” Wooyoung giggled and brought his knees to his chest to hide his face against them.

  
“It’s not like it’s any news for you anymore.”

  
Wooyoung let out another hum and tilted his head up to look at Yunho, pressing a small kiss against his cheek. “I guess I will need more time than you to come in terms with all this.”

  
“Take as long as you need.” The mermaid rested his head against Wooyoung's and smiled, hoping nothing would go wrong after that night.


	10. Chapter 10

It felt like a déjà vu for Wooyoung when he woke up.  His entire body hurt, his neck was stiff, literally nothing seemed in his favor as far as it concerned normal and comfortable movements without anything hurting or a bone popping or creaking. What was different about him waking up at the beach this time was that he had what to sleep on and  Yunho  was there too. True, the mermaid had moved to sleep in the water, only his head and shoulders rested on the dry sand, so he wouldn't “turn into a raisin”. But Wooyoung appreciated the fact he still chose to stay there instead of going home to sleep more comfortably.

Wooyoung took his surprisingly comfortable inflatable pillow, got up and walked over to  Yunho .  He admired how cute he looked while sleeping, a small smile tugging at the edges of his lips before  carefully lifting his head up to place the pillow underneath it.

Thankfully,  Yunho  didn’t wake up .  Wooyoung lied down on his back next to him and closed his eyes , relaxing at the feeling of the  warm water. He started thinking about the events that occurred the previous night , not able to stop the blush spreading over his face all over again.

The fact that  there was something between them didn’t bother him  unlike other things did. He was well aware he’s been attracted to boys his entire life, that was nothing new to ponder on. And there was no point to worry about how society would react to all that because no one could see them, they weren't around people.

What bothered him, though, was that if their feelings for each other grew, they wouldn't be able to maintain a  relationship together. Wooyoung already had difficulties  accepting the fact he wasn’t going to see  Yunho for almost nine months.

He nibbled down on his lower lip, trying his best not to think about that. He wanted to focus on the good things. Like his relationship with  Yunho , for example.  Like the good things happening.

“What are you thinking about?” He got startled because of  Yunho's  voice and opened his eyes, turning to lie on his side and looking  at  him.

“It’s nothing.” Wooyoung shrugged  at which  Yunho  rolled his eyes and groaned.

Yunho  sat up and leaned above the  other boy, studying the expression on his face closely.  For a second Wooyoung felt even a little bit intimidated though he didn’t expect that was possible  because  Yunho's  face was just so soft and squishable. 

“ Something’s bothering you. What is it?”

“I was just thinking about how you’re going to be gone in a month and a half,” the dark haired boy admitted, his eyebrows  slightly curling upwards and his lower lip forming into a pout that  Yunho  always found so endearing. There was no point of lying or going around the truth because he was still going to tell Yunho about his concerns sooner or later.  “What’s going to happen to us after that?  We can’t see each other, we can’t even keep in touch. How am I going to know if you’re alright and if you’re going to come back at all?”

The mermaid sighed  and leaned closer to Wooyoung . He pressed his lips against his forehead and closed his eyes, staying like that for a while. After he pulled away, he looked at Wooyoung  again . “Don’t worry about that now. There's plenty of time until then and we can figure something out.”

With a light nod,  Wooyoung wrapped his arms around  Yunho  and pulled him into a hug .  Yunho  was quick to relax into the hug, causing Wooyoung to be pinned down against the sand by his weight in a rather painful way for his already pained bones.

“Why are you so heavy?” Wooyoung breathed out shortly before trying to push  Yunho  off of himself.

“Why are you so weak?”  Yunho  snorted and got off of Wooyoung. He lied down on his back and pulled the latter on top of himself instead, hugging him tight. “Is it better like this?”

“ Mhm .  So much better.”  Wooyoung hummed and rested his head against  Yunho's  chest .

“Hey, I never even asked you,” Wooyoung suddenly realized after a  few minutes of shared silence. He looked up at  Yunho  while tracing little shapes over his chest with a finger. “How old are you?  Preferably in human years, please.”

“Human years and mermaid years are the same.”  Yunho  let out a quiet laugh.  “I turned twenty few months ago.”

“Why are you older than me, that’s unfair!”  Wooyoung  complained. “I turn twenty in a few months.” He added, kind of grumpy and annoyed. It was a childish thing to sulk about, really. But he barely ever experienced the joy of meeting someone born the same year as him and being older than them. Not that that made it any less childish.

“Hey,”  Wooyoung  spoke again after a while, bringing  Yunho’s  attention back to himself. “My hands are  kinda  cold.”

“Really?”  Yunho  took  Wooyoung’s  hands in his own, gasping quietly. “How are they so cold, it’s summer!”

Wooyoung  only shrugged lightly before humming. “As I think about it, my lips are a little cold, too.”

Yunho  rolled his eyes and pulled  Wooyoung  closer to himself, gently pressing his lips against the other  boy’s .  Wooyoung  closed his eyes and kissed him almost immediately, smiling lightly into the kiss. He pulled away soon after, his smile only growing wider.

That smile faded away soon, though. As he opened his eyes and looked at  Yunho , he was just looking at him with a serious face for a while. Yunho didn't fail to notice just how often when Wooyoung was happy he would always think of something bad almost right after.

“I will have to head back home soon because I’m at work tonight,” the  dark haired  boy said, resting his forehead against  Yunho’s  and slowly intertwining their fingers together, holding onto his hands tight.

“Don’t act like it’s the last time we’re seeing each other.”  Yunho  nuzzled his nose against  Wooyoung’s . “We will see each other tomorrow, right?”

“Of course. After I come back home from work, I will sleep, then I’m coming here.”

“Then...  Wanna  meet with my best friend tomorrow?” The mermaid let go of one of  Wooyoung’s  hands, moving his hand up and slowly combing his fingers through the boy’s hair.

“The one that wants to kill me?” The look on  Wooyoung’s  face was priceless. It made  Yunho  laugh a little too hard even though he probably shouldn’t have. He ended up only giving a small nod as a response. “Oh, no, I’m too scared of meeting him, what if he really ends up killing me?”

“You have me, remember?”  Yunho  moved his hand from  Wooyoung’s  hair to his cheek, gently brushing his thumb against it. “Also, you’re basically my boyfriend now, so that would give him more reasons to not do any harm-”

“I’m your _what_ now?”  Wooyoung  looked at  Yunho  with wide eyes, his jaw almost dropping at his statement.

“I mean...” The mermaid pulled off a very awkward smile, blushing profusely in the meantime. “If you want to? I’m sorry I said it, I was just speaking without really thinking and before saying it, it sounded right, so I just went ahead and said it.” He continued blabbering, most of which was complete nonsense because he had gotten so embarrassed and flustered but  Wooyoung  couldn’t help but look at him adoringly, still having the widest smile possible on his face.

Wooyoung  shook his head when  Yunho  didn’t seem to plan on  stop  talking any time soon, so he took things in his own hands, leaning in and kissing him deeply until he shut up and kissed back.

“Maybe ask me out first and then call me your boyfriend, hm?”  Wooyoung  pecked  Yunho’s  nose before rolling off of him.

“Why don’t _you_ ask me out instead?”

“Too shy. No can do.”  Wooyoung  winked cutely and got up to gather his things.


	11. Chapter 11

“Wooyoung, I'm taking a break,” Yeosang announced as he bent under the bar counter to get out, already heading towards the exit of the club but walking slowly backwards, waiting to receive some kind of response from his friend.

 

  
“Already?” Wooyoung raised his eyebrows up.

  
Yeosang only shrugged and gestured to the other bartender to remind Wooyoung that he wasn't leaving him all alone. Then, he turned around and finally walked outside.

  
It was a rather peaceful Saturday night with not as much work as there usually was during the weekends. There were still a lot of people but that time it was mostly regulars instead of tourists on a vacation.

  
Wooyoung didn’t complain when he had a little less work to do. He even saw it as something good because he wasn’t going to be as tired when he went back home and he wouldn’t need a lot of sleep. Nothing changed the fact that time passed by painfully slowly, though. And if there wasn’t anything to distract Wooyoung, he was bored out of his mind. Usually the thing that distracted him was Yeosang but during the whole night he had been taking breaks way too often and disappearing off to somewhere even at the point they got a little busier at the bar. Wooyoung didn’t question him about that.

  
The warmth and softness of his own bed made Wooyoung let out a sigh of relief as soon as he lied down a little after he got home from work. He sleepily set an alarm for noon, then fell asleep almost immediately.

Although he slept only for a few hours, he was having some weird and quite detailed dreams such as drowning as he was being pulled deeper into the water but Yunho saving him.

  
He woke up minutes before his alarm. He couldn’t go back to sleep so he spent the rest of the time staring at the ceiling, thinking about the dreams he had. Maybe it was a sign and a warning about Yunho’s best friend. But it was going to be rude if he didn’t show up although he really was a little scared.

And he couldn’t really tell if the fact he even started dreaming of Yunho was good or bad. The mermaid was occupying such a great part of his thoughts already.

  
He had become way too dependent on Yunho and his presence. It was probably a little ridiculous. He did realize that there was no possible way he could be at the beach all the time just to be with Yunho. And, on the other hand, Yunho couldn’t be there all the time either.

  
The alarm finally going off distracted Wooyoung. He turned it off and got up to get ready and go outside. It was one of those days when it was so hot and humid that he could barely breathe. His skin was boiling underneath his clothes even though he was wearing just a T-shirt and shorts.

  
He was nervously fidgeting with his fingers on his way to the beach, wondering what to do. He didn’t meet mermaids every day and with Yunho it was probably a different case than it would be with anyone else. _Was he supposed to be in the water with them? Were they supposed to go out of water to him?_ No. That was going to be a little too awkward. _Was he supposed to stay out of the water while they were in?_ That also sounded like an awkward option. And a rude one, too. He really hoped Yunho had something figured out.

 

  
The mermaid was already waiting for him at the beach, leaning against a rock and calmly waving his tail around in the water. He greeted Wooyoung with a warm smile as the latter approached him. Wooyoung crouched down, leaning over the rock to cup Yunho's cheeks and give him a small peck on the lips.

 

“Is this how you greet me now?” Yunho giggled after he pecked back. Wooyoung nodded, a wide smile spreading over his face. “Are you nervous?” Yunho wrapped his hands around Wooyoung's wrists, holding onto them gently.

  
“Kind of.” Wooyoung nodded again, slowly brushing his thumbs against Yunho's cheeks. “But I feel a little calmer now.”

  
Yunho pulled away and moved backwards into the water, gesturing at Wooyoung to go over to him. Without hesitation or taking too long, Wooyoung took only his shoes off and sat on the rock before carefully going into the water. He moved closer to Yunho and held onto his shoulders.

  
“I promise he’s not bad,” Yunho assured, wrapping his arms around Wooyoung's waist loosely and holding him close. “He’s just protective. And, in fact, he’s actually really nice and fun to be around.”

  
“Nothing changes the fact that he hates my guts just because I'm a human.” Wooyoung pouted and leaned closer, nuzzling against Yunho's cheek but scrunching his nose up almost right after. “You’re wet.” He pulled back with a frown.

  
“You have three guesses to figure out why.”

  
Wooyoung hummed and squinted as he put a hand over his mouth. “You’ve been crying?” Yunho shook his head, giggling quietly. “Hmm… Maybe… Sweat?”

  
“You have one more try.” Yunho shook his head again.

  
“ _Oh_ , I know! I know! You’re a mermaid! Did I guess right?” After receiving a small nod from the mint haired boy, Wooyoung got really excited, splashing in the water happily like a small child. “What do I get for guessing?”

  
“Well, you had the chance to get the grand prize if you guessed it from the first try, but…” Yunho pulled Wooyoung closer, giving him a quick kiss. “Third place wins this.”

  
“Just that?” Wooyoung pouted.

  
Before either of them could say anything, they were startled by the sound of a third person clearing their throat nearby. They turned their heads and saw two other mermaids – one of them with bright green, kind of messy hair and the other with vibrant red hair with beautiful pearls of different colors in it.

  
Yunho quickly got his hands off of Wooyoung and moved slightly away from him, getting a little embarrassed. “Wooyoung, these are my friends Mingi and Hongjoong,” Yunho introduced.

  
Wooyoung went closer to the other two, shaking hands with them. He immediately figured out which one was Yunho's best friend. The green haired mermaid, Mingi, was staring at him while they were shaking hands and he felt such a negative energy from him that he suddenly started feeling even more awkward and anxious about what was going to happen.

  
Meanwhile Hongjoong had such a wide and welcoming smile. At first Wooyoung had panicked a little on the inside that there was two of them, but considering how warm Hongjoong was, he felt more at ease.

  
After the awkward introduction part, Hongjoong was all over Wooyoung, asking him countless of questions about humans and about him, seeming so excited that he was meeting a human. Wooyoung, who was mildly overwhelmed, tried answering everything but his thoughts were a giant mess and at times he needed a little more time to form a sentence that made sense.

  
Yunho and Mingi were just kind of _floating_ beside them.

  
“So…” Mingi glanced at Yunho with the corner of his eye, noticing how the latter barely dared to look back at him. “You two?”

  
“Yeah. I mean, not exactly yet but, yeah.”

  
Mingi only let out a quiet sigh before patting Yunho on the shoulder and went to the other two as Wooyoung already seemed comfortable enough while talking with Hongjoong. He joined their conversation, not doing anything to purposefully intimidate Wooyoung.

  
Not long after that, Yunho joined in, too, pushing himself inbetween Wooyoung and Mingi and wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

He wanted to stay positive about all that, to believe that his best friend was eventually going to change his mind about Wooyoung when he gets to know him better. Although he was well aware Mingi was never going to be able to know Wooyoung as well as he did, he at least hoped that it was obvious how kind-hearted the boy was.


	12. Chapter 12

Mingi and Wooyoung were left to sit at the shore while Hongjoong and Yunho went off to somewhere for a bit. They didn’t say where were they going, just that they were going to be back soon. What could they be possibly doing in the sea anyways? One of the many things Wooyoung had completely no explanation for. Suddenly he started wondering if mermaids also had stores or fast food like humans did.

 

  
He had brought his knees close to his chest, his arms loosely wrapped around them as he was playing with his fingers and staring at them, waiting for the sun to do its job and make his clothes dry faster.

  
He was fine with talking with Mingi while the others were around but now that it was just the two of them, they didn’t really have what to talk about. It wasn’t as easy for Wooyoung to pretend that he knew that Mingi disliked him. It wasn’t easy for Mingi either. For him to pretend that he was fine with Wooyoung being around Yunho so much.

  
At one point he tilted his head slightly so he could glance at Mingi, the latter immediately glancing back at him. They both quickly looked away.

  
“Do you also think that they set this up so we would talk to each other?” Mingi asked, breaking the silence between them.

  
“Now that you mention it…” Wooyoung hummed, nodding slowly. “But maybe none of this would’ve been necessary if you didn’t hate me for no reason.”

  
“I don’t hate you.” Mingi groaned and rolled his eyes, receiving a stare from Wooyoung.

  
Once again, they were quiet for a while. The mermaid got a little uncomfortable by Wooyoung staring at him like that but he tried pretending he wasn’t bothered by it. Though when it got a little too much for him, he decided to speak up.

  
“I just don’t trust you,” he explained with slight annoyance in his voice mostly from the fact that he had to admit it. “Yunho is a little naïve, you see, he’d trust anyone this easily because he’s so kind and I don’t want you to hurt him, okay? That’s all.”

  
Wooyoung clicked his tongue. He looked forward again. “I’m more than sure that you know him way better than I do but I can assure you he’s not as naïve as you think.”

  
“Maybe.” Mingi shrugged. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I worry about him.”

  
It was Wooyoung's turn to roll his eyes now. He felt a little offended by the fact that even though until now he had never done anything to hurt Yunho and always did his best to make him happy, he was still being doubted. There was no way Mingi could know that except if Yunho hadn’t told him, of course. Yet Wooyoung didn’t like the fact that he felt like he had to prove himself to someone who didn’t even want to give him the chance.

  
“You two are _so_ lame!” Hongjoong yelled behind the bushes him and Yunho were apparently watching them from.

  
“I did tell you they set it up, didn’t I?” Mingi looked at Wooyoung again after he was trying to see the other two through the bushes.

  
“Yeah, you’re so smart,” the dark haired boy responded sarcastically.

  
After a few minutes, Yunho and Hongjoong also moved to the shore where Mingi and Wooyoung were. As soon as Yunho sat next to Wooyoung, the latter rested his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes, feeling thankful that he wasn’t alone with Mingi anymore. The other two were busy with talking to each other for a while, Yunho joining in their conversation from time to time while Wooyoung was holding his hand and gently playing with his fingers.

  
Wooyoung didn’t feel excluded because of the fact that he couldn’t say anything. He was actually even interested in listening to what they were talking about. They were most likely having a conversation about one of their friends yet what Wooyoung really understood from the whole thing was that Hoongjoong and Mingi were dating.

  
A slight smile appeared on his face as he was staring down at his and Yunho's linked hands, thinking how weird it was that the bubbliest person possible was dating someone like Mingi. But of course, he could only assume how things were, based on his first impression of the two. A part of him was sure that Mingi wasn’t like that all the time. The other part of him was just straight up annoyed with Mingi's behavior towards him.

  
“What are you thinking about?” Yunho whispered against Wooyoung's ear after he noticed he had gotten a little distracted.

  
Wooyoung looked at him and smiled even wider. “I will tell you tomorrow. Or later if we get to have some time alone.”

  
Yunho only nodded and nuzzled against the side of the other’s head.

  
They spent time together until Wooyoung had to go back home and make something to eat and then head to work.

  
All that sounded like pretty simple tasks to do except that Hongjoong wanted to spend more time with Wooyoung and get to know more about him. He didn’t want to let him go, acting as if they have been friends for years who weren’t going to see each other in a long time. Luckily, Yunho was considerate enough to interrupt. He said that he wanted to spend some time alone with Wooyoung before he went to work.

  
“We will come to visit you again soon, okay?” Hongjoong said as he was hugging Wooyoung tightly. “Or if one day you magically grow a tail or develop some extreme diving skills, come visit us instead.” He giggled and looked at Wooyoung.

  
“I promise I will.” Wooyoung also giggled and patted Hongjoong on the back.

  
Mingi didn’t waste any time on long goodbyes, he just waved at Wooyoung after him and Hongjoong got back into the water, diving in and disappearing soon after.

  
Wooyoung and Yunho were looking at the sea for a while, watching the waves gradually growing bigger before crashing against the shore. The younger scooted closer and snuggled against Yunho.

  
“So what do you think?” Yunho asked as he wrapped his arm around Wooyoung, bringing his hand up to comb his fingers through his hair.

  
“Well, Hongjoong is really kind and easy to talk with and I liked spending time with him a lot but… Mingi…” Wooyoung didn’t want to say anything negative about Mingi in front of Yunho or in general. “I really don’t like that he doesn’t like me. He didn’t even seem to try giving me a chance to prove that I’m not bad.” He crossed his arms and frowned. “And why do I even have to prove myself in the first place?”

  
Yunho giggled quietly and placed his free hand under Wooyoung's chin, making him look at him. “No one said that you need to prove yourself to him or to anyone. I'd really prefer it if you two could get along but I can’t force it and neither can you. He’s just a little more difficult especially because he doesn’t trust you.”

  
“That’s unfair, I’m so nice. And I’m cute, too.” Yunho giggled again because of Wooyoung's statement.

  
They were looking at each other for a while after they fell silent, occasionally glancing down at each other’s lips until they kissed. Wooyoung moved closer and wrapped his arms around Yunho's neck, gently tangling his fingers in his soft mint colored hair. Yunho moved a little to wrap his free arm around Wooyoung's waist, caressing his back.

 

  
“I need to go to work,” Wooyoung mumbled out into the kiss.

  
“Five more minutes, please.” As soon as he heard a quiet hum in response, Yunho closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side and deepening the kiss.

  
That made Wooyoung finally let himself calm down and relax, getting his mind off of Mingi and focusing on Yunho.


	13. Chapter 13

Summer was coming to its end. Every day of Wooyoung's last two months had been spent in work and staying at the beach except for the one time he was sick for a week. He didn’t get tired of it. He felt like he could do that forever. But now his forever was a very limited time of just two weeks until Yunho wasn’t going to be there anymore. Only until next summer. That seemed too far away, though.

Yunho had told him to not think too much about that and he really almost forgot about it at one point but now that it was nearing it was the only thing he could think about.

Of course, Yunho knew how much Wooyoung worried about it. After all, he talked to himself a lot when he worried or stressing over something.

“Nine months is not that long,” Yunho said as he was trying to assure Wooyoung while caressing his back soothingly. “I will be back in no time.”

“It won’t be the same without you. Nine months would feel like a complete torture, considering I barely survived without you when I was sick.” The dark haired boy sulked.

“You’ve survived for nineteen years without even knowing that I exist, it would be the same.”

Wooyoung frowned, making Yunho realize he shouldn’t have said that. Or at least in the way he said it.

“I’m going home,” Wooyoung said with a sigh, knowing well that he was overreacting about it just so he could see what would Yunho do.

He was just about to get up and go out of the water but Yunho tightened his hold around him, pulling him even closer to himself.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” The mermaid left a soft peck against Wooyoung's neck, knowing that it really was _that_ simple to soften him up. “I was just trying to reassure you that everything is going to be alright even if I won’t be here until next summer.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.” Wooyoung rested his head against Yunho's shoulder, slowly drawing shapes over his chest with his finger. “Before you, everything was so boring… I mean, yeah, sure, I have friends and I have fun with them but I can’t spend literally every single day with them without getting tired or wanting to do something else. Meanwhile, I can never get tired of you. With you everything is different.”

Yunho perfectly knew what he could do in that situation. He know that he had a quick solution that would fix everything. But he was unsure. So he didn’t do anything. He was just left to sit and caress Wooyoung's back.

“I know how you feel,” he mumbled out quietly. “There’s no one who can compare to you. No one can give me the same things that you do.” He pulled back and cupped Wooyoung's cheeks, looking him in the eyes. “I’d spend all of my days with you.”

“Would it be illegal if I took you in a big tank and kept you in my bathtub until next summer?” Wooyoung asked with a sparkle in his eyes, saying it mostly as a joke even though if he could, he would definitely do that. Probably.

The mermaid hummed and thought for a second, a small frown appearing on his face as if he didn’t exactly know the answer of that. “Maybe not illegal but… Immoral?” He scrunched his nose up, giving Wooyoung a really awkward look. “Also, wouldn’t I be uncomfortable if I were to live in a bathtub for nine months?”

“Why do you know what a bathtub is?” Wooyoung tilted his head questioningly and also frowned, his cheeks getting squished more from Yunho's hands.

“You know, after all this time with you I’ve concluded that for a human you’re a little dumber than expected,” Yunho teased. “I love you a lot but sometimes you ask me questions that are so obvious that they could be answered even by humans.”

A whine followed immediately after Yunho's response, making the latter giggle. “I’m not that dumb, it was a really logical question!”

“Well…” Yunho shrugged his shoulders. “You either get to know a lot about humans by other mermaids or by hanging around at docks or beaches a lot. We don’t stay isolated by the rest of the world.” He purposefully missed some details which were more or less important, but Wooyoung looked like he understood things quite well, so he decided to spare him the rest.

“So, you know stuff mainly thanks to gossipping?”

“Basically. We might live in the water but that doesn’t mean we can’t do what’s possible to progress with humans throughout the centuries, you see.”

Wooyoung was nodding understandingly, making a mental note to himself to not underestimate the development of the mermaid world.

“Wait,” sudden realization hit him. “What did you say along with the part that I'm dumb?”

“Hm?” Yunho raised his eyebrows up, genuinely confused. “What? Oh, I said that I love you?”

“How do you say it so easily like that?” Wooyoung got flustered and hid his face against Yunho's chest, feeling his cheeks burning hot from embarrassment. “You’ve never said it before and now you decide to say it while also saying that I'm dumb, you’re unbelievable.” He kept on whining, lightly hitting the mermaid's chest which felt more like pats for him.

He looked up again, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes full of determination though his cheeks were so red that he looked like he was going to explode any moment. “I love you, too!” He basically yelled at Yunho, being a little way too determined and excited to say it back.

Yunho was looking at him a little dumbfounded, the last thing he expected was Wooyoung yelling at him that he loves him. But his expression eventually changed to a much softer one, the edges of his lips tugging into a smile. “I love you so much.” He leaned closer and brushed the tip of his nose against Wooyoung's before kissing him tenderly.

“I love you, too,” Wooyoung repeated his own words though this time in a whisper. He closed his eyes, kissing Yunho's lips multiple times, not being able to continue at one point because he was smiling way too widely. “This is exactly what I mean when I tell you that there is nothing on Earth that can compare to what I have with you and the way you make me feel. I’ve told Yeosang I love him so many times, but when I tell you that I love you it’s so much different and special.”

The mermaid gently took one of Wooyoung's hands and placed it against his chest to feel his heartbeat. It felt like his heart was literally going to beat out of his chest any moment. Wooyoung gasped in surprise.

“You know I feel the same way.” Yunho smiled at him and brought his hand closer to his lips, kissing the back of it.

Wooyoung blushed even more, if that was even possible to achieve. He held onto Yunho’s hand and nodded.

“By the way, you should be going out of the water as soon as possible, I’m getting worried about your skin,” Yunho pointed out after he realized Wooyoung had been staying in the water for way too long.

“It’s very unfortunate that you turn into a raisin when you dry out and I turn into a raisin if I stay in water for too long.” Wooyoung sighed and got up, heading out of the water to sit on his towel.

"Let's both become raisins and have a beautiful raisin family," Yunho said with a giggle, staying where he was.

"Ask me to be your boyfriend first and then we will talk about having a raisin family."

"I won't do it now because I want it to be romantic and not awkward and unprepared, okay?"

Wooyoung nodded and giggled quietly. "Sure."


	14. Chapter 14

A day.

That was the time Wooyoung had left. He was still trying to get distracted from all that and he decided that he was going to spend the last few days with Yunho, almost not going back home and only going to work when he had to.

He decided to camp on the beach, pulling up a tent and taking a suitcase with clothes he needed. He only went home every day to shower and make food for himself and that was all. The rest of the time he was with Yunho.

Maybe he was taking things a little too far, he realized that. He was overreacting enough to camp outside. But it wasn’t his fault. He felt like his heart wouldn’t handle being far from Yunho for so long. He wanted to be with him as much as possible the last few days before he and his family and friends would move away until next summer.

“It’s already getting colder,” Wooyoung said with a chuckle as he went out of his tent, putting on a hoodie to keep him warm. He went over to Yunho and sat beside him, stretching his legs out and letting out a relieved sigh, already feeling warmer than he did just a few minutes ago.

He gently took the mermaid's hand in his own and hummed in surprise. “You’re so cold.”

“Have you ever gone fishing and caught a warm fish?” Wooyoung shook his head lightly. “Exactly. Now use that knowledge and remember that I’m technically a fish.” Yunho placed his free hand over his mouth and giggled, finding what he said way funnier than it actually was. Somehow the fact that Wooyoung also snorted calmed him that he  probably hadn't said the most stupid thing possible.

“Technically, you pass as human, too.” Wooyoung moved their hands in his lap and snuggled against him. He was slowly brushing his thumb over the back of Yunho's hand and rested his head against his shoulder. “Otherwise it would be weird that I'm in love with a fish,” he added. He looked up at Yunho and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

“Wait, does this mean you’ve looked at regular fishes the same way that you look at me but the fact that I'm half human calms you?” Yunho tilted his head to look at the other and frowned.

“No, you’re the only fish I will ever look at in that way.” Wooyoung brought his free hand up and cupped Yunho's cheek. He pecked his lips a few times and smiled. “And this most definitely won’t change.”

Yunho pecked back each time and lightly rubbed his nose against Wooyoung's. “That’s good.” He kissed him for a little longer afterwards.

Over the past two weeks he had a lot of time to think. He evaluated his relationship with Wooyoung, he even went all the way and asked his parents and Mingi for advice. So now he had a plan and knew what to do, feeling even more confident thanks to the fact he had his family’s support with his decisions.

Actually, Mingi didn’t really support him. He even tried discouraging Yunho and telling him that whatever he was planning was not worth it. But he finally gave in when Yunho didn’t show any signs of changing his mind at any point.

“Tomorrow is my last day here,” Yunho mentioned as if Wooyoung wasn't already painfully aware of that. It felt like he was rubbing salt into the wound. "I will be here when you come back after work. And I have a surprise for you.” He started slowly combing his fingers through Wooyoung's hair, pushing it back a little.

“What surprise?” Wooyoung asked, tilting his head to the side and looked at Yunho again with eyes full of curiosity.

“You’re going to see tomorrow.” He stopped Wooyoung before he could whine about it. “If I tell you now, how is it going to be a surprise?”

Wooyoung pouted. “You know I'm too curious to not know.”

He received a nod from Yunho. “No matter how much you whine about it this time, I won’t tell you. You know I have a soft spot for you, so don’t use it against me.”

“Okay.” Wooyoung sighed quietly and kissed Yunho again.

All kinds of thoughts were passing his mind. What could it be that Yunho was going to surprise him with? For a moment he thought that maybe Yunho was going to finally ask him to be his boyfriend. But what was the point of that? He was going to be gone right after that.

Maybe he was never going to be able to call himself Yunho's boyfriend and it upset him a little.

He snuggled against Yunho and hummed quietly, not letting his bad thoughts affect his mood. He had plenty of time to be upset after Yunho wasn’t around.

“Can’t you tell me what is the surprise connected with?” Wooyoung asked, making Yunho snort.

“I won’t tell you anything. I'm not giving any hints either.”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes.

Because it was a little colder, it took Yunho more time to dry out but after a while of just sitting there, he needed to go back into the water, leaving Wooyoung to sit alone.

Wooyoung moved a little closer yet still far enough for the waves to not reach him. He was playing with the sand and looking at Yunho who dived in, swimming around for a bit until going back. He stayed in the water, sitting opposite of the other.

Comfortable silence settled between them. The dark haired boy tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze. He sighed quietly, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

Yunho was watching him without taking his eyes off of him, admiring how effortlessly beautiful he looked. He would’ve said something but he just wanted to continue looking at him without breaking the silence.

It took him a while to realize that Wooyoung had fallen asleep like that. He giggled quietly to himself and dragged himself out of the water, moving next to Wooyoung and grabbing his shoulder. He shook him gently to wake him up.

Wooyoung hadn’t fallen deeply asleep, so he quickly woke up, getting startled and almost falling back if Yunho hadn’t put his arm behind his back to support him.

“Sorry,” Wooyoung mumbled out sleepily. He clung onto Yunho, not minding that he was wet from the water. “I didn't realize that I'm falling asleep.” He got a little embarrassed and hid his face against Yunho's shoulder.

“I only woke you up because you have to go to work soon. Otherwise I would’ve let you rest more.” Yunho smiled and kissed the top of Wooyoung's head.

“You’re so nice.” Wooyoung giggled muffledly.

“For you.” Yunho pulled Wooyoung on his lap, cradling him in his arms and letting him take his time to get comfortable.

Wooyoung rested his head on Yunho's shoulder and hummed contently as the latter started rubbing his tummy gently with his hand.

“Why are you doing this?” Wooyoung questioned, eventually relaxing in the mermaid's arms.

“Dunno,” Yunho responded. “Just feels nice.”

The younger could only nod in agreement, already melting by Yunho's touch. He tiled his head to the side and buried his face in the crook of his neck, placing small kisses against his cold skin. “If you continue doing this I might fall asleep again,” he whispered and closed his eyes.

“That’s okay. I know when to wake you up.” Yunho kissed Wooyoung's cheek and smiled.

“You’re so cold but I still somehow feel warm when you hold me.”

“Don’t forget you’re wearing clothes that keep you warm.”

“Yeah but you warm me up even more.” Another giggle escaped Wooyoung's lips. “When it gets colder I won't have you to warm me up.”

Yunho hummed and smiled lightly. “Don’t think about that now.”


	15. Chapter 15

A little known fact, especially for Wooyoung, was that mermaids could actually grow legs. Of course, so far in his life, Yunho had never tried something like that. He didn’t even think it was possible at some point but the truth was that there were many mermaids who were fed up with the life in water and decided to live along with the humans. It was something that went through certain families that had human ancestors, not all mermaids could do that. Some mermaids were never even born as mermaids just because they weren’t born in water.

Luckily enough, Yunho happened to have a human great, great grandma on his father's side, making him realize how weird of a family he had.

In fact, Yunho was also going to face a great difficulty if he had to stay away from Wooyoung for almost a year. And his gut feeling was telling him that he could trust the boy enough to actually be with him.

He had been contemplating it a lot, even right before actually doing it, but he was tired of seeing Wooyoung sad.

He talked with his parents and explained everything to them, about him and Wooyoung and how he couldn’t just leave him. For his surprise, they encouraged him if he really thought that that was the thing he should do.

The fact that Wooyoung had brought a suitcase with himself was really convenient for Yunho. He only took a T-shirt and shorts from there, not sure if he had to check in advance if at least the T-shirt fit him. One thing was for sure – he was not going to show up in front of Wooyoung naked and these clothes were enough even if they didn’t exactly fit him. Maybe the shorts were a little shorter than they were meant to be.

He felt weird. Having legs was weird. He couldn’t imagine how did Wooyoung live like that. It was so uncomfortable. He spent around thirty minutes trying to figure out how to walk without losing balance until he got fed up and just plopped down on the sand, not even walking that great of a distance.

The clothes felt a little uncomfortable, too, as he thought a little more about it.

But everything was worth it as long as he was going to be with Wooyoung. He had to get used to everything.

After a while of just sitting there and moving his legs a little from side to side and still thinking how weird all that was, he got up again and went to sit at a rock instead. Somehow happened to be the rock they met on. Or maybe it was completely on purpose.

Wooyoung was supposed to come back from work any moment now, he thought to himself. He anticipated the boy's reaction even though he was aware it wasn’t necessarily going to be a positive one. After all, he really did hide all that from him.

“Any moment” turned out to be an hour that Yunho felt like an eternity. The look on Wooyoung's face when he saw him was priceless, indescribable. His tired, sleepy eyes were wide open. His face has lost color and was suddenly pale. He couldn’t tell if that was real or if he had fallen asleep and was currently in a really weird dream. Or if he was so tired that he was hallucinating.

 _Maybe I should have warned him beforehand instead of giving him a heart attack now,_ Yunho thought.

Wooyoung approached Yunho, looking at him from head to toe in utter shock, his hands clenched in fists.

“Remember how I told you I’ve got a surprise for you?” Yunho asked, smiling lightly.

“You could’ve done this the entire time and you haven't told me?” Wooyoung spoke slowly and hesitantly brought his hand up to point at Yunho's legs. He received a nod as a response. “I’m going to kill you,” he whispered, feeling his blood boil, even though both of them were aware he wasn’t talking seriously. But he was angry indeed. He felt so let down that he couldn’t even gather the strength to yell at Yunho. “You made me go through all this the entire time and you could’ve just grown legs… Just like that?”

With a sigh, Yunho leaned closer and wrapped his arms around Wooyoung's waist, pulling him towards himself. The latter tried moving away for a moment but he eventually let himself be pulled.

“Please, don’t be mad at me. I can explain.” He slowly started caressing Wooyoung's back, looking up at him with a slight pout. “I had to talk with my parents if I could stay here instead of going with them. Now I'm going to stay separated from them because I want to be with you. Also, I wasn’t really sure if I could trust you. I was scared that you were going to hurt me until recently.”

“Even after everything I did for you and all the love I gave you, you still doubted me?” Wooyoung wrapped his arms loosely around Yunho's neck as the latter nodded, his pout only growing bigger.

Letting out a sigh, he decided that he was going to give himself more time to process all of that. He was too exhausted to think now. And he couldn't be mad at Yunho about his trust issues with humans.

“Let’s go to the tent,” the dark haired boy said as he pulled away, reaching out to take Yunho's hand. “You can walk, right?”

“I mean… I can but I'm really bad at it.” Yunho grabbed Wooyoung's hand and got up, carefully getting off of the rock and standing in front of Wooyoung. That was something neither of them ever imagined to happen. But there they were.

Wooyoung looked at Yunho and squinted. There was the thing, as a mermaid Yunho was probably longer than two meters. That was most likely because of the tail but as a human, he was much shorter than that. Yet he still somehow managed to be at least ten centimeters taller than Wooyoung which pissed him off.

“How dare you be taller than me?” He furrowed his eyebrows, getting on his tip toes to reach Yunho's level. “Get your tail back, this is disrespectful.”

“So now you’re complaining that I have legs just because I'm taller?” Yunho giggled.

He suddenly held tightly onto Wooyoung with both hands, realizing that his legs were getting a little wobbly when he was standing in one place.

“How do you manage to live like this?” He whined quietly as the other started walking slowly while supporting him, leading him to the tent.

“We learn as babies and then we get used to it. Just think of yourself as a baby now and these are your first steps.”

“Oh, trust me, I made many more steps before you came here.”

“Yet you still haven’t gotten the hang of it, so what’s your point?”

When they finally got into the tent, Yunho lied down on his back and Wooyoung lied down on his side next to him, one arm thrown around his waist.

Being on a soft surface like the mattress in the tent was a relatively new experience for Yunho. He almost melted by the feeling, closing his eyes and letting out a relieved sigh.

“You’re wearing my clothes,” Wooyoung pointed out though he noticed that when he saw Yunho sitting at the rock. He was slowly playing with the hem of the T-shirt, flipping the fabric between his fingers gently. “Wait, does that mean you’ve taken from my underwear too?” He suddenly stopped the movements of his hand and lifted his upper half up a little to look at Yunho with a frown.

“No.” The older opened his eyes slightly, glancing back at Wooyoung. “I’m not wearing any. I just put these on because it would’ve been awkward if I showed up naked in front of you.”

Wooyoung giggled and moved to rest his head on top of Yunho's chest. “As if you haven’t been naked the whole time until now.”

“Yeah, but I had a tail. And now I have… other things.”

“Fair point, it really would’ve been kind of awkward.”

When they quieted down, Wooyoung fell asleep, his arms wrapped around Yunho's waist. Yunho also fell asleep a while after, his fingers gently tangled in the other's hair as he was previously combing them through it.


	16. Chapter 16

Wooyoung had to call Yeosang to pick them him and Yunho up from the beach. Before he only needed to carry a suitcase with a tent and all his clothes inside but now it going to be more difficult now that he had to support Yunho while walking.

While they were on call, Wooyoung didn’t mention any details about Yunho having legs and he hung up before Yeosang could even ask about it, left with a handful of questions and so he was beyond amazed when he saw them.

“How did that happen?” Yeosang gasped as he got off his car, walking towards Wooyoung and Yunho, obviously eyeing the mermaid’s legs.

“Some mermaids can do it, I guess. His great, great grandma was human. He explained but I was sleepy to focus.” Yunho looked at Wooyoung with a frown but he shorter boy was too busy giving his suitcase and the rest of his things to Yeosang. After that, he lead him to the car.

Yunho let out a relieved sigh when he leaned back against his seat after they got in. “Standing is so tiring,” he complained. Wooyoung who was sitting next to him gently caressed his thigh and leaned against his shoulder. “But cars seem scary…”

“You’re going to get used to it. Hopefully.” Wooyoung hummed softly, nuzzling against Yunho's shoulder. “And cars aren’t that scary, I guess. Also, Yeosang is an experienced driver even though we’re not going a long way now.”

“Why don’t you have a car?” The older tilted his head to look at Wooyoung.

“Had to choose between a car and moving to live here and repairing my house. I have a license but I’ve almost forgotten how to drive. Or I’m just not good at it in general.” Wooyoung chuckled.

“And anyone can drive?”

“Yeah, if you have the needed age.”

Yunho only nodded, thinking about how cool it would’ve been if his legs weren’t useless and if he could drive. But he already knew he was never going to be able to have a license because now he was existing in human's world undocumented.

Yeosang drove them to Wooyoung's house and helped with leaving everything inside while his best friend was walking with Yunho.

The mermaid felt his heart beat fast from excitement but on the other hand his head hurt a little because he tried to take his time observing everything around himself. He couldn’t. There was just too much.

He sat on the couch when they got inside and Wooyoung placed a pillow behind his neck.

“I'm gonna go now,” Yeosang announced after everything was done, patting Wooyoung on the back in the most awkward and “bro” way possible.

“Won’t you stay for a little?” Wooyoung pouted, wishing he would spend some time both with Yunho and Yeosang.

Yeosang just started walking backwards towards the front door while making gestures with his hands. Wooyoung squinted and looked at him questioningly.

“He says he has to go home because his boyfriend is there,” Yunho said, lazily resting his head against the pillow.

“Bingo.”

“How’d you figure that out?” Wooyoung turned his head and looked at Yunho over his shoulder with knitted eyebrows.

The mint haired boy shrugged. “Mingi always does that when he can’t find a good excuse and doesn’t want to straight up tell me that he wants to go hang out with Hongjoong.”

With a quiet sigh, Wooyoung walked Yeosang to the front door. “You know we’re gonna talk about this right?”

“Love you!” Yeosang gave Wooyoung a quick hug before going out and sprinting to his car.

Wooyoung shook his head lightly and closed the door. He went over to the couch and sat down next to Yunho, throwing his legs over his lap and taking one of his pillows before screaming into it. He then put the pillow down and looked at Yunho, his lips stretching into a forced but calm smile.

Yunho didn’t even need to ask what was going on. Having legs and everything along with that was already a lot to take in by Wooyoung.

He wrapped an arm around the younger's waist and pulled him closer, pressing kisses all over his face. Wooyoung giggled quietly and rested his forehead against Yunho's.

“We should go out and buy clothes for you today.” Wooyoung said while he was slowly tracing his fingers along the collar of Yunho's T-shirt. “And you should probably learn how to get used to human food that isn’t sea food. Even though sea food is still an option.” He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I have no idea what else to do.”

“It’s okay.” Yunho ran his fingers through Wooyoung's dark hair, pecking his lips. “I just hope I won’t be a bother for you.”

“No, no.” Wooyoung put his hands up and shook them. “Never think you’re a bother for me. We just have to figure all this out.”

He then placed his hands on Yunho's shoulders and pressed his lips against his again, kissing him multiple times.

“Oh, wait.” Yunho suddenly pulled away and looked at Wooyoung. “I have a very important question.”

“What is it?”

“Uhm… Where do humans go when they need to pee? I mean, I don’t need to now but…”

Wooyoung was staring at Yunho for a while, thinking how he really had thought that was a good enough reason for him to just break the kiss. “I will show you where the bathroom is when you need to go... But now that you asked, where do mermaids go?”

“Just in the water.” Yunho shrugged.

Wooyoung squinted, not sure if he should be disgusted or concerned about all the times they had gone swimming together. “That’s…”

Before he could say anything else, Yunho interrupted. “Don’t you dare say anything, I know humans use the sea as a public restroom.”

Wooyoung's lips stretched into an awkward smile. “I don’t, I'm civilized,” he said through gritted teeth. Even he didn’t believe himself.

“Sometimes I know better than you so don’t say such big words, cutie.” Yunho placed a finger against Wooyoung's lips to shush him. What he didn’t expect was Wooyoung to bite him. “Hey, what was that for?” He exlaimed, lightly hitting the other’s shoulder.

“I was tempted,” Wooyoung responded in his defense. He took Yunho's hand and gently kissed his finger. “Also, you deserve it because you implied I’m uncivilized.”

“Did my baby get offended?” Yunho booped Wooyoung's nose and it was like a lesson never learned because he totally didn’t expect the second bite his finger received. “Stop that!”

“I'm not your baby.” The shorter crossed his arms and frowned. “You still haven’t asked me out. Yes, I'm going to keep being stubborn about it until I die if i have to."

“Well, the good news is that now I can ask you out because I can take you on a date and make it romantic. You know I want it that way.” Yunho grinned and wrapped both his arms around Wooyoung's waist, kissing him gently. “Don’t bite,” he whispered against his lips as a warning before closing his eyes and feeling Wooyoung kiss back. He smiled into the kiss and started slowly caressing the latter’s lower back.

Wooyoung moved his hands to the back of Yunho's neck and melted under his touch, lightly tangling his fingers in his hair. “I’m really glad you’re here even though you self invited yourself,” he giggled.

“You weren’t going to leave me just like that either way, were you?” Yunho nibbled down on Wooyoung's lower lip.

“There’s no way we could know that know,” the other giggled once again muffledly.


	17. Chapter 17

“I should figure out what size you wear,” Wooyoung hummed while going through one of the many racks with T-shirts on display. “I don’t even know my own size...” He continued murmuring and sometimes complaining under his nose, Yunho giggling from time to time while listening because he found it so cute. He was clearly more interested in Wooyoung than in the clothes but he couldn’t be blamed. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him, he was completely whipped.

The town didn’t have that many clothing stores. Or at least not many that Wooyoung liked and would shop at, so he took Yunho to his favorite one. Most of the other stores, just like the local restaurants and clubs, were open only during summer and sold clothes along with souvenirs and toys that only a tourist would look at to buy for their families or friends.

Wooyoung looked up at Yunho and squinted, trying to figure out if he was a size L or something else. He most likely was since he was so tall but at the same time, he had completely no idea how sizes worked. “You search, too. Find something that you like.”

Yunho placed his hand on Wooyoung's shoulder and grinned at him. “Found it.”

His smile grew even wider as he saw how at first Wooyoung pouted, his eyebrows curling upwards slightly. Then, he blushed deeply and moved his gaze away, pursing his lips into a thin line and getting unbelievably flustered. “Something from the clothes here, not me,” the shorter mumbled out.

While he was trying to hide his face until he didn’t feel it as if It was going to set on fire anymore, Yunho hummed and moved closer as he also started looking through the T-shirts. He ended up picking a few, letting Wooyoung look at their sizes before actually deciding to take them.

“Wanna go to the changing rooms so you can try them on after we’re done?” Wooyoung looked at Yunho as he was already moving towards the jeans section.

“Changing room?” Yunho questioned.

The other nodded and continued what he was doing until he realized that Yunho was just standing beside him with a confused look on his face. He looked up at him and tilted his head lightly until he realized what the other meant and gasped quietly. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were actually asking what changing room means...” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and smiled at Yunho. “In most clothing stores there are changing rooms where you try on the clothes that you like so you can see if they look good on you for you to buy them.”

Yunho hummed. “I see.” He moved closer and wrapped an arm around Wooyoung’s waist, leaning against him because he was getting tired of standing for so long. As much as Wooyoung liked feeling Yunho’s warmth and being hugged by him, he felt a little uncomfortable to be clingy with him in public no matter how much he wanted it. Currently the only reason he wasn’t pulling away was that he had to support Yunho or else his legs and back would hurt more. He wasn’t sure how was he going to handle it if someone threw them a weird stare, though.

He nibbled down on his lower lip as he picked out three pairs of jeans, giving them to Yunho to hold them with his free hand. He then looked up, realizing that Yunho was so close that their faces were barely apart from one another. He blushed once again and looked slightly away.

“I think we’re done here,” he announced happily after he double checked. He started leading Yunho towards the changing rooms, looking around to see if there were many people there. “Would you need help with changing?”

The first thing that came to Yunho’s was to tell Wooyoung that he didn’t need any help but as he thought a little bit more about it, he wasn’t really sure if he could be that independent. Of course, he was going to manage alone somehow with maybe the littlest bit of help but it was much easier to use not being a human as an excuse. “Mmm, yeah, I think I will.”

Wooyoung nodded in response and looked around once more before going into one of the stalls with Yunho. He took the clothes from the mint haired boy’s hands and placed them down in his lap after he sat on the small chair in the corner.

“What’s wrong?” Yunho asked as he was taking his T-shirt off, being handed one of the ones he had chosen right after.

Wooyoung stretched his hand out to leave the T-shirt on the hanger to separate it from the clothes that Yunho had to try on. Then, he shrugged lightly and looked up at the latter. He wasn’t going to lie to Yunho and tell him that it was nothing. After all, the problem was still going to bother him, probably even more in the future, and he was eventually going to share sooner or later. “I don’t feel comfortable when we’re around people.”

“Why is that?” Yunho looked himself in the mirror, humming and turning from side to side. “Does it look good?”

“Isn’t it a little short on you?” Wooyoung pulled the T-shirt down a little. “Nope, it’s good. Wanna try it on with jeans? You’re wearing undewear this time right...?” After receiving a nod, he let out a relieved sigh and picked out one of the pairs of jeans, handing it to the older. “It’s just that... You see, I really hate this because I want to be as clingy with you as possible literally all the time, but normally in the human world it isn’t really acceptable for two boys to be affectionate with each other in public...”

“Why do you care?” Yunho moved closer to Wooyoung, so he could help him with buttoning his jeans after he put them on.

“I don’t know...” After he was done, Wooyoung pouted and wrapped his arms around Yunho, hugging him and resting his head against his tummy. He closed his eyes for a moment, caressing Yunho’s back gently. “I’ve just been growing up aware that I’d never be accepted by most people. I have no idea how normalized this is for mermaids but here people could actually get murdered just for loving each other.” He trembled slightly as he felt Yunho combing his fingers through his hair but eventually relaxed into his touch.

“Then I will be less clingy.” The mermaid sighed quietly, feeling just as upset as Wooyoung. Or even a little more because he couldn’t understand why were people like that. At least Wooyoung had gotten used to living like that while for him it was a first to even hear such thing.

“But I still want to hold your hand in public and hug you, and probably even kiss you.” Wooyoung looked up and rested his chin against Yunho. He tugged on his shirt lightly to make him crouch down. “I will try to relax and not care too much. But still, keep in mind we can’t be like we are at home.”

“I understand that.” Yunho smiled and pecked Wooyoung’s lips. “I love you so much.”

All of a sudden, Wooyoung’s usual bright smile was back and spread across his face. “I love you, too.” He pressed kisses all over Yunho’s face, letting go of him afterwards. “Now try on the rest of the clothes, so we can go eat somewhere because I’m getting hungry. Are these jeans good on you or are they too tight?”

Yunho got up and turned around, looking over his shoulder to check himself out. He frowned a little. “Does my butt look good in them? I can’t really decide. Otherwise, I like them.”

“Baby, your butt is almost flat, no jeans could help you with that,” Wooyoung giggled, patting Yunho’s thigh lightly. “You look great.”

“Thank you for your brutal honesty,” Yunho pretended to be hurt before taking another T-shirt and another pair of jeans, not missing to bend down and peck Wooyoung’s lips once again before changing his clothes.

“It’s okay, not everyone is gifted like me.”

“You’re so full of yourself for someone with an equally flat butt.”

Wooyoung didn’t even need to pretend that he got offended. He gasped and put a hand over his chest. “Excuse you! It’s nicely shaped and visible.”

“Mhm, whatever you say. Don’t forget about all the times we’ve gone swimming, sweetheart. I've seen a lot.”

“Have you been checking me out?” The younger frowned.

“Wouldn’t really call it that. Sometimes it was just getting in the way and it was impossible to look anywhere else.”

“Of course.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> h hi im back almost 5 months later . i didnt proofread so if there are any mistakes they stay there forever

After a long day of shopping and walking around, full of Wooyoung and Yunho whining about how tired they were every few minutes, the two boys finally got back home. Wooyoung left the bags with the clothes he had bought for Yunho in the bedroom and went to the kitchen where the latter was already unpacking the Chinese takeout they had taken. They knew they were going to be way too lazy to try to cook something, even if it was instant noodles.

“I have an idea,”  Wooyoung  announced cheerfully as he was helping  Yunho  with putting the food into plates. Not that he couldn’t eat the food straight from the box. He just wanted to teach  Yunho  that sometimes manners and using a plate were highly appreciated. Didn’t want to let him  get  used to being lazy before he wasn’t familiar with the supposed ly  right way to do thing s .

“What is it?” Yunho glanced at Wooyoung curiously.

“I will tell you later, we should eat now while the food is still warm, right now I’d be too exhausted to talk and eat at the same time.”  Wooyoung  took his plate and walked to the living room, followed by Yunho soon after.

The two of them sat on the couch and ate their food in silence while watching TV,  Wooyoung  sitting close to Yunho, lightly snuggled against his side. He finished with his food first and patiently waited for the other boy to be done too so he could put the plates away in the sink. As soon as he got up, Yunho took the opportunity to lie down on the couch, leaning the back of his head against the armrest and sighing quietly, closing his eyes.

“Maybe it wasn’t good to make you walk so much all of a sudden,  hm? ”  Wooyoung  said  with a small pout as he came back. He made a little space for himself  inbetween Yunho’s  legs and sat there, lifting his hands up as  he  started  gently and carefully massaging  the older 's knees and thighs.  Even touching him as gently as he did hurt him .  “Still remember how I told you I have an idea? ”

“Does it require walking?”  Yunho  reopened his eyes to look at  Wooyoung  and slightly  raised an eyebrow at  him .

“Yeah, kind of.”  When he was sure he wasn’t doing any good by massaging his legs,  Wooyoung  moved to  lie down on top of  Yunho , wrapping his arms around his  waist  and hugging him tightly. “I’m  gonna  prepare a warm bath for you so it can soothe the pain at least a little. And it’s a lso a bout time you showered, I won’t let you sit on my couch when you’re dirty.”

“Sounds fair.”  Yunho  wrapped his arms around  Wooyoung , holding him close and kissing the side of his head  while caressing his back.

Wooyoung  let out a quiet, soft hum as he rested his head against  Yunho’s  shoulder  so he could nuzzle his nose against  Yunho's  cheek. He closed his eyes and snuggled against him.  “Now I won’t want to get up when it’s so warm and comfy here,” he mumbled out.

“Maybe if you stay like this for a little longer, my legs are going to go completely numb and I won’t feel them anymore for good,”  Yunho  joked. He was running his fingers up and down over  Wooyoung’s  back, humming quietly and pressing little kisses against his temple and the side of his head as he felt how the other was completely melting under his touch. 

Feeling his face getting warmer from the blush spreading over it,  Wooyoung  tilted his head to bury it against the crook of  Yunho’s  neck, huffing  muffledly . “You should stop making me embarrassed and flustered.”

“You should stop giving me opportunities and being so easy to get flustered.”

Wooyoung  rolled his eyes and huffed again. He leaned above  Yunho  and pressed a kiss against his forehead before getting up and going to the bathroom to fill the tub. While he was waiting, he was sitting at the edge of the tub and rubbing his face with his hands almost furiously while trying to make himself stop feeling so flustered. Somehow it was only getting worse as he couldn’t help but smile widely while thinking about the way  Yunho  made him feel.

He had to make a lot of effort to distract himself from thinking about  Yunho  so he could add bubbles to the water and finally stop it from running once the tub was completely full. He went back to the living room, only peeking in and quickly catching the  older’s  attention. “The bathtub is ready. Do you need help walking there?”

“No, no, I think I’m going to be alright, don’t worry,”  Yunho  responded as he was already sitting up. He got up without struggling too much and slowly limped his way to  Wooyoung . “Why are you looking at me like this?”

“No reason.”  Wooyoung’s  smile became even wider. He snaked his hands around  Yunho’s  arm, barely taking his eyes off of him as the two made their way to the bathroom together. “I hope the water is warm enough. I’ll be back in a few minutes to bring you towels.” He got on his tip toes to press a kiss against  Yunho’s  lips. After that, he went out of the bathroom and closed the door, leaving the other to undress in peace.

He went to the closet, looking through the top racks to find where he kept the rest of his towels. Since he switched only between two towels and used a few smaller ones in the kitchen, he had no memory where he had put the rest of them. It almost felt as if he had purposefully hidden then from himself so he would never get his hands on them ever again. But luckily, he found them and took them out. He picked one of the bigger ones and another one he would use to dry Yunho’s hair. Then, he left the rest on the lower free racks so they wouldn’t remain hidden as they were before.

He went back to the bathroom, lightly knocking on the door a few times to warn before opening it and walking in.  Yunho  had already made himself as comfortable as possible in the tub. It was a little small for him to stretch his legs all the way so he had to keep them slightly bent at the knees. But aside of that, he managed to relax and his legs really did feel better.

“Aren’t you supposed to turn back into a mermaid when you’re in water?”  Wooyoung  questioned casually as he was putting the towels beside the tub.

“Not my water.”  Yunho  shrugged in response, looking up at the dark-haired boy and smiling lightly, his cheeks flushed.

Wooyoung  sat at the edge of the bathtub, gently running his fingers through  Yunho’s  hair and looking at him lovingly. “I’m  gonna  shampoo your hair just because I  wanna  be affectionate and cute with you, but you will have to wash up by yourself after that, okay?”  Yunho  only nodded and  Wooyoung  turned the water on only for a moment to wet his hair before stopping it again and taking the shampoo. He poured a small amount before putting it in  Yunho’s  hair, spreading it and gently rubbing his fingers against his scalp.  Yunho  tilted his head slightly and closed his eyes, smiling softly.

He wrapped his arms around  Wooyoung’s  waist and pulled him slightly closer. While  Wooyoung  didn’t care that he was getting his shirt wet, he felt like he was this close to losing balance and it made him tense up a little.

“Be careful or I might fall into the tub,”  Wooyoung  warned with a soft voice, smiling and slowly carding his fingers through  Yunho’s hair.

“Well, you know you can always voluntarily join me in case you don’t want to fall in with your clothes on.” The older opened his eyes slightly to look at Wooyoung.

“Maybe another time, baby.” The latter smiled and leaned closer to place a kiss on the tip of  Yunho’s  nose.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [twt](https://twitter.com/93huitaek) <3


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